Health and Housing Choice Project

Grantee: Global to Local
Timeframe: July 2017 – June 2020 | Total Amount: $570,000

Year 1: July 2017 – June 2018. Amount: $170,000
Year 2: July 2018 – June 2019. Amount: $200,000
Year 3: July 2019 – June 2020. Amount: $200,000

The Health and Housing Choice project directly addresses the many health disparities faced by low-income Somali and Latino residents of SeaTac and Tukwila. Global to Local (G2L) has been actively engaged with these communities for the past six years on issues relating to healthcare access and health outcomes.

G2L will use PHPDA funding to support the work of two Community Health Workers (CHWs) and one part time HealthPoint staff, assigned to serve as a Clinical Community Liaison (CCL), all focused on reducing health disparities and improving health outcomes and access to care for Latino and Somali residents of SeaTac/Tukwila. The CHWs will be employed by G2L, while the CCL position will be subcontracted to HealthPoint.

The project will target services to low-income Somali and Latino residents of SeaTac and Tukwila who are Section 8 voucher holders living in scattered-site apartments and homes. G2L will work with King County Housing Authority (KCHA) to identify voucher holders in the target population. CHWs will conduct outreach to potential project participants via direct contact as well as through multiple community events. G2L anticipates actively engaging at least 375 individuals in project activities over 12 months.

Specific CHW activities and areas of focus will be determined through individual and group conversations with project participants and may differ markedly for the Somali and Latino communities. At a minimum, CHWs will work with participants individually and in groups on physical activity, nutrition education, health literacy, health insurance enrollment and access to primary care:

• Assist eligible residents year-round to obtain Medicaid coverage or to enroll in subsidized insurance during the next open enrollment period in late 2017.
• Help connect participants with a Primary Care Provider (PCP) if they do not have one. CHWs will coordinate with the HealthPoint CCL to facilitate enrolling participants at a HealthPoint clinic.
• Work to increase participants’ engagement with their PCP and medical home teams. CHWs will notify PCPs via Electronic Medical Record entries when participants have taken part in health-related activities such as screenings, nutrition planning, physical activity and chronic disease management. CHWs and the CCL will work together to support participants in adhering to wellness plans, such as strategies for medications management and addressing barriers to attending appointments.
• Encourage and motivate participants to adopt positive changes in health behaviors. CHWs will work with participants individually and in groups to promote the benefits of healthy eating, regular exercise, smoking cessation and other lifestyle changes.
• Connect participants to health programs taking place in their communities. CHWs will organize workshops, screenings, presentations and support groups ranging from health literacy education and healthy living topics to strategies to prevent and manage diabetes and other chronic conditions.

Once participants are engaged with a PCP at HealthPoint, the CCL will work with physicians to identify specific areas of support that would benefit each patient. The CCL and CHWs will work together to offer those supports to participants.