Camden Coalition
Title: Facilitating Healthy Homes With Camden Coalition
Student Interns:
Samuel Gingerich
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Academic Preceptor:
Mara Gordon, MD
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Anthony Rostain, MD, MA
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Community Preceptor:
Laura Sorensen, MSW
Camden Coalition
Community Site:
Camden Coalition is a nonprofit organization based in Camden, New Jersey, that works to maximize care for individuals with complex health and social needs. The Coalition works with individuals and groups ranging from community members to larger government agencies, with a mission to transform health and social care ecosystems so each citizen can receive equitable, person-centered care. The organization assists constituents with housing, legal services, insurance, and more. Camden Coalition is also one of New Jersey’s four regional health hubs. As such, it enables better communication among area organizations and helps expand the complex-care health model statewide.
The Housing First program at Camden Coalition identifies individuals in South Jersey with multiple complex chronic conditions who are facing homelessness. It works with them to secure housing without prerequisites, such as drug use status or employment. Patients in the program then receive consistent care coordination from the Housing First team regarding medical, social, and financial needs. Since 2015, the Housing First program has housed 95 individuals, with patients experiencing a 71% average reduction in emergency department visits and a 32% drop in inpatient admissions.
Team’s Experience:
During the summer, the Bridging the Gaps intern worked with Camden Coalition’s Housing First program and its interdisciplinary team in both the office and field settings. The intern’s core project focused on creating a “Healthy Homes” booklet for new and current Housing First patients that describes the relationship between home cleanliness and patient health and provides basic instructions for maintaining a clean home. The intern also worked on smaller projects, such as a detailed contact form, a personal hygiene manual, and completing the Camden Coalition’s complex care certificate for frontline providers. In addition to project-based work, the BTG intern joined Camden Coalition’s community health workers, social workers, and nurses on visits to the homes and/or rehab facilities of Housing First patients. This allowed the intern to meet and learn from those involved in the program and to see firsthand the services offered.
Reflections
As someone who aspires to be a physician, my fondness for caring for others is something that has always driven me. Many medical students, myself included, have discussed this affection in our personal statements, interviews, and any time a family member asks us, “Why do you want to be a doctor?” There are so many ways to ‘care’ for people, ranging from complementing someone’s shirt to performing surgery for them; however, it was not until I worked with Camden Coalition that I learned the definition of ‘complex care.’ The Camden Coalition describes complex care as ‘a comprehensive, coordinated approach to managing the health and social needs of individuals with multiple, ongoing, and often serious medical conditions.’ While accurate, this definition does not scratch the surface of the effort and kindness that is required to respectfully care for those with complex health needs, which was exemplified for me each day by members of the Housing First team at Camden Coalition. While medical and social care does require knowledge and simple kindness, my interdisciplinary team showed me how important it is to establish trusting relationships with patients, which often requires time and resilience. An example of when I saw this trust in motion was when I attended a field visit to a patient’s apartment with a Housing First community health worker. This patient had complex medical needs, including memory issues and an alcohol use disorder. As soon as we entered his living space, however, I saw how much respect both the provider and the patient had for each other after years of working together. The patient wanted to show off his home care progress to the provider, and the provider celebrated his wins with him. When the provider discussed concerns that he had with the patient’s organization, the patient first felt ashamed but was reassured by the provider that he is not angry at him. Despite the frustration that came with the medical and social issues that were taking place, the social worker showed that he put patient-centered care over all negative feelings. I also see this deep care at our weekly coordination meetings. When a troubling situation about a patient was brought up, the team brainstormed to try to figure out the next best plan rather than lamenting on what-ifs. Complex care takes more than simply “caring” for the patient; it takes trust, empathy and hard work. I will remember the care that I saw exhibited this past summer for the rest of my medical education, and I hope to replicate the actions of my team members when I take on complex health situations as a physician.
Samuel Gingerich
