Recuperative Care Pilot 

The Recuperative Care Pilot is a short-term residential program that gives people who are homeless or housing-insecure a safe place to recover after being discharged from the hospital. Being in a clean, secure setting with onsite therapeutic support helps patients heal from the illnesses and injuries they were hospitalized for, reducing the likelihood of readmission. 

The pilot is the result of a partnership between HPSM and San Mateo County Health. (Other participating partners include Bay Area Community Services and the Bridges to Wellness Team). Pilot participants are therefore drawn from the inpatient unit at San Mateo Medical Center. When patients are well enough to leave the hospital, they are moved to a six-bed home in South San Francisco where they receive:

• 24/7 nursing support

• Mental health care

• Access to Home Health

• Care coordination with:

  • Pharmacy for medications

  • Doctors for follow-up visits

  • Community resources for referrals

• Healthy meals

• Discharge planning to improve long-term health

The Recuperative Care Pilot is funded by revenue from Measure K, a sales tax that San Mateo County voters approved in 2016. The project saves taxpayers money because residential recuperative care costs much less than inpatient hospitalization.