PALO ALTO, Calif., June 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Peninsula Healthcare Connection (PHC), a nonprofit healthcare clinic founded in 2006 to provide free medical and psychiatric services to those most in need in the homeless community, is joining forces with New Directions, an innovative hospital and community-based case management program for individuals with complex medical and psychosocial needs.

Formerly a program of the Healthcare Foundation of Northern and Central California since 2002, New Directions goal is to provide intensive and wrap-around case management services to homeless and at risk adults. New Directions' focus is to improve the quality of health and lives of these individuals through improved access to medical care and social services. Without these services, clients are at risk of frequent hospital readmissions, emergency room visits, and becoming sicker and potentially dying on our streets. New Directions' intensive case managers have had significant success in helping individuals change their lives, become permanently housed and obtain needed healthcare services. The outcomes have proven to provide savings to public systems such as law enforcement and the criminal justice system, as well as to hospitals.

Since inception, PHC has focused on providing professional medical care to local homeless individuals. A Managing Medical Director monitors all services and licensed physicians provide medical treatment. PHC strives to maintain an environment structured to best suit the needs of the population they serve. Its comprehensive model of care includes primary care, psychiatric counseling, medication management, nutritional counseling, diagnostic testing and case management, New Directions provides the intensive support to assure that clients access and appropriately utilize the right level of medical care, as well as follow through with treatments and medications. Both provide care to the uninsured and underinsured population. Together, with New Directions' services and its staff of highly trained social workers, PHC's clients will have more opportunities to improve their lives. PHC clients will have greater access to assistance income or benefits, housing, mental health services, drug and alcohol support, assistance with legal issues, transportation, and ongoing supportive services.

New Directions Director, Sherry Holm, LCSW says, "Though clients from each of our organizations are distinct, we expect that those New Direction clients in need of immediate, but non-urgent medical care will greatly benefit from the opportunity for treatment at PHC, while PHC clients will interact with more highly-trained case managers who can provide intensive hands on services."

"New Directions' and PHC's philosophy is to do 'whatever it takes,' to help our homeless community members, who are in such desperate need of 'housing first' options—the best practices model for ending homelessness nationally," said Eileen Richardson, Executive Director, PHC. "Joining forces with these outstanding professionals will open new doors for all our clients. Our organizations fit together perfectly and it's exciting for us to partner and expand our service level to our clients, while increasing the number of individuals we serve."

CONTACT:
Ann-Marie Meacham
Peninsula Healthcare Connection
408-348-0633
annmarie@peninsulahcc.org

SOURCE Peninsula Healthcare Connection