A Norfolk woman with a family history of heart problems and severe asthma not only couldn’t get health care, but she also couldn’t afford a place to live because her health problems kept her from working. Left with few options, she and her one-year-old son were forced to seek shelter through ForKids Inc.
“There are many layers to the problem of homelessness,” says Thaler McCormick, executive director of ForKids, and one of them is access to health care. But because of a grant from Sentara Health Foundation, the Norfolk nonprofit agency has been able to help more people find and keep shelter.
“ForKids is unique, in that our mission is to break the cycle of homelessness for children and families, not just to provide emergency shelter,” McCormick says. “We focus on the long-term reasons for homelessness, not just the immediate situation.” Last year ForKids, located at 4200 Colley Avenue in Norfolk, helped 75 families, including 138 children, through its residential program.
With the Sentara grant, the agency funded the services of a medical case manager to help clients navigate the health care system for indigent and uninsured patients.
“This is a really important new service line for our clients,” says McCormick. “When families have health issues, it is just one more problem to overcome to get into a permanent home. If they can’t get health problems under control, they can’t work. Without a job, they can’t keep a home.”
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Sentara is helping ForKids Inc. realize the truth in its tagline: 20 Years of Opening Doors |
The case manager maintains contact with community health resources and helps clients find services to meet their needs. “Now because of the medical case manager, we are able to get established with a family practice doctor and help them with all the paperwork and transportation issues,” she said.
Because of this service, the woman with heart problems and asthma was able to get her medical conditions under control through regular physician appointments, and by getting her prescriptions filled, she is able to maintain a steady work schedule.