A Safe Haven Foundation

Winner of the 2020 COVID-19 Response Award. In partnership with the City of Chicago Department of Public Health and Rush University Medical Center (RUMC), A Safe Haven was able to quickly collaborate to convert a 7,000 square feet space into a fully functional hospital grade negative air 50-100 bed medical respite isolation space to serve COVID-19 diagnosed vulnerable patients. It provides a safe place to heal under the direct medical and behavioral healthcare supervision of trained professionals and to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to others. The innovative in person and tele health and behavioral healthcare service model has since helped to inspire a new and crucial new approach to public health issues. The medical respite has helped to connect and integrate the institutional health and community based behavioral healthcare models and systems on behalf of helping and serving the homeless in the appropriate setting and level of care to meet their complex needs. The medical respite is available to patients who were either homeless and/or living in doubled up situations and were unable to isolate. It provides beds and comprehensive services to help heal patients who may be asymptomatic or exhibiting mild symptoms, but not deemed too sick to be in a hospital. The process consists of Chicago Department of Public Health screening for the primary intake and upon verification and prequalification of referrals Rush and ASH will take in referrals. According to the Center for Disease Control, the homeless and poverty stricken populations are 2-3 times more likely to get really sick and die from COVID-19. The ASH medical respite is strategically located in one of the hardest hit communities. Remarkably, the A Safe Haven, CDPH, RUMC partnership has helped to successfully treat and discharge 100% of their patients to achieving a COVID-19 free status. The ASH medical respite has become the subject of case studies and is highly regarded as a national center of excellence.