The Westside Emergency Housing Center (WEHC) is now offering coordinated health care and case management services to the families, women and men staying at the facility. The much-needed effort is due to an innovative partnership of community stakeholders.
WEHC residents now have access to the new health clinic on Monday and Thursday evenings. Providers from UNM Hospital and staff from UNM Health Sciences Center provide triage services while staff from Centro Sávila provide continuity of care and case management. All providers are being trained by Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless in de-escalation, trauma-informed care and street medicine, which engages people experiencing homelessness where they’re at and on their own terms to eliminate barriers to service.
The genesis for these services came in February announcement that UNM had signed a letter of intent with the City of Albuquerque that states UNM and UNM Health Sciences Center will explore unified responses to homelessness in Albuquerque including “the potential development of emergency shelter facility(ies) with supportive services, and expanding ways to improve access so that the homeless populations may receive high-quality and coordinated health care services, including medical, psychiatric and addiction-related services.”
Heading Home thanks Mayor Tim Keller, Carol Pierce and the staff from CABQ’s Family and Community Services, Dr. Paul Roth and Dr. Art Kaufman, Bernalillo County, Centro Sávila and all the providers from the many different departments at UNM Health Sciences Center for their leadership, coordination and planning!
