Witnesses: Cuts to complex care program risk stability for Boston's most medically complex homeless patients
Loading...
Summary
Nurses and program managers told a Massachusetts committee that the Community Partners complex‑care program is slated to end on 06/30/2026 and urged restoring MassHealth ACO funding to preserve services for medically complex people experiencing homelessness.
Jean Marie McKinnon, a registered nurse who manages complex care at Boston Healthcare for the Homeless, told the committee that “our program is slated to end on 06/30/2026” and said the program serves about 1,200 medically complex patients in Boston.
McKinnon said her team prevents repeated hospitalizations by resolving medication and transportation errors and coordinating medical and behavioral health care. “Without required contracts, vulnerable patients risk losing access to essential high quality care,” she said, urging the legislature to restore part of the MassHealth ACO funding so ACOs are obligated to contract with specialized community partners.
Pam Rivas, data systems project manager for the Boston Coordinated Care Hub, presented program data and described the population served: since 2019 BCCH has served roughly 7,000 housing‑insecure residents and, in the Hub’s cohort, “46 percent of patients have a diagnosis of serious mental illness,” she said, adding that prevalence of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder was far higher than state averages. Rivas and other witnesses described the phenomenon of “death by housing,” explaining that people recently housed can relapse into substance use if supports are not in place.
Shanna Sullivan, clinical program manager at Boston Healthcare for the Homeless, cited an independent evaluation (UMass Chan) showing reductions in emergency department visits and hospitalizations where community partners operate and said cuts are unlikely to save money in the long run: “The assumption that cutting these services will save anyone money is not supported by evidence.”
Committee members asked whether existing patients are being disenrolled; McKinnon said programs are not actively disenrolling current participants but are not accepting new referrals, leaving people without access to integrated care. Witnesses urged targeted, modest funding restorations and contractual obligations tying ACO dollars to community partner services to preserve continuity of care.
The hearing record contains repeated requests for the committee to consider restoring funding in the FY27 process; no formal vote or committee action was recorded at the hearing’s close. The hearing adjourned after the public testimony period.
