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Committee approves $1.64 million for 'healthcare for the homeless'; director outlines outreach, services and data
Summary
The committee approved $1,642,325 for homeless-health services. Public Health Director Anna Thomas described how the program defines homelessness, outreach methods including a mobile clinic and two fixed sites, and said roughly 55% of patients are on Medicaid and about 200 children are active pediatric patients at any time.
The Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen's Committee on Community Improvement approved an amending resolution to accept and expend $1,642,325 for CIP CIPC41002025, designated for homeless-health services.
Public Health Director Anna Thomas described the way different agencies define homelessness and the services the city funds under "healthcare for the homeless." "The definition of homelessness varies depending on which branch of government you speak to," she said, adding that Health and Human Services' definitions can include people at risk of homelessness as well as those experiencing it. Thomas said Healthcare for the Homeless provides outreach, two fixed facilities (one next to Hope for New Hampshire Recovery and one at 199 Manchester St.), and a street-medicine van that functions as a mobile primary-care clinic.
Thomas told aldermen that Healthcare for the Homeless performs outreach in multiple languages, places flyers and relies on partner agencies to refer clients. She said at any time the program cares for roughly 1,200 active patients (the panel's patient base can rise as high as 1,700 during parts of the year) and that the program treats about 200 children among those active patients. "We're about 200 kids out of about 1,200 active patients at any time," Thomas said.
The director also described common health needs among the population served: behavioral and mental health needs and untreated chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. On dental services she said the city contracts with Catholic Medical Center (Poisson/Prusson Dental Facility referenced in the meeting) for adult dental referrals and operates a dental van that provides free dental care to about 600 children a year.
On payment and eligibility, Thomas said the program does not ask about citizenship and will see anyone presenting for care. She said 55 percent of patients are on Medicaid and that the program uses federal funds and other insurance before uncompensated-care dollars.
Aldermen asked whether the state's recent $80 million in returned funds would affect the program. Thomas said the impact has been minimal so far: "So far, no. Not significantly. There was 1 small grant that we were still spending down ... it was a grant that was going to sunset in June of this year anyway, so we weren't expecting it beyond this." She cautioned that the city's reliance on multiple federal grants creates uncertainty about future funding and said she would notify the board if positions or grant-supported services were at risk.
The motion to accept and expend $1,642,325 was made by Alderman Long and seconded by Alderman Birkisch; the chair announced the ayes carried.
Ending: The committee approved funding for homeless-health services and asked that the health director continue to coordinate with partner agencies and report budget or staffing impacts if federal or state support changes.
