Blessing Health has been awarded a $74,459 planning grant on behalf of itself and 10 community agencies to develop a medical respite care program that could be implemented in Quincy if long-term funding, a location for a facility, and staffing can be identified.

Medical respite care is short-term housing combined with health services that allow individuals experiencing homelessness the opportunity to rest, recover, and heal in a safe environment while accessing medical care and other supportive services. 

Planning grants were recently awarded to 16 organizations, including Blessing Health, by the Illinois Public Health Institute. The funds came from the Illinois Department of Human Services as part of Home Illinois: Illinois’ Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, which identified medical respite care as a key activity.
The community agencies working with Blessing on the Quincy medical respite care plan are SIU Center for Family Medicine, Clarity Healthcare, Bella Ease, Quincy Housing Authority, Salvation Army, Horizons Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry, Transitions of Western Illinois, United Way of Adams County, Quincy YWCA, and the Adams County Health Department.

“It motivates you when you know there are people who must have hospital care but cannot be discharged after their care because they don’t have a safe place to go to recover,” said Mary Frances Barthel, MD, MHCM, FACP, SFHM, Chief Quality and Safety Officer, Blessing Health.

“There are people in the Quincy community with medical needs who are living in their cars, with other people and pets, and can’t get the medical equipment they need because they do not have the environment to support healing or treatment,” said Julie Shepard, Community Health Coordinator, Blessing Health.
“Having a health condition is hard enough. I cannot imagine not having a stable place to manage it,” she concluded. 

The Quincy agencies will spend between now and June 30, 2024, determining the community’s needs and what type of program would fit with the community. The agencies will also receive technical assistance and be members of a statewide learning collaborative as part of the planning process. 

“We definitely want to determine how to get input from local people who live in these circumstances and find out what benefits they would want to see in a medical respite care program in Quincy,” Dr. Barthel concluded.

After planning is complete the agencies could apply for a pilot program grant.