Green light for Downtown Streets Team/PHC and homeless health care

PALO ALTO – When Shannon Giovacchini was ill and struggling financially, Downtown Streets Team provided her medical treatment for free.

“I would call them nothing short of life saving,” says Giovacchini, a former patient who now serves on the board of Peninsula Healthcare Connection (PHC), the health services partner of Downtown Streets team. “They not only provided me the care I needed physically, but did so with dignity and respect.”

Thanks to support from the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, PHC can now help more people like Giovacchini. Today, PHC received upgraded federal status, giving North County’s homeless and at-risk population more access to affordable health care services.

“This is a huge step in providing quality health care services in the North County to the folks who need it most,” says Board President Joe Simitian, who pushed for County funding to support PHC in gaining Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike (FQHC-LAL) status.

“Frankly the federal process is confusing as hell – a lot of agencies, acronyms and aggravation,” he says. “But in plain language, this new status means Downtown Streets Team will have the resources to provide health services for more people.”

With the promise of more revenue that comes with the federal stamp of approval, PHC’s clinic in Palo Alto increased its hours and started a sliding fee-for-services discount – including “no payment” when warranted.

“Before, we were struggling to meet the high demand for affordable health care for at-risk and homeless people. Now we’re accessible to more people regardless of someone’s ability to pay,” says PHC Managing Medical Director Dr. Haleh Sheikholeslami.

“We are now going to be self-sufficient in providing some of the best medical and psychiatric care in the region for homeless men and women right here in North County,” says Eileen Richardson, founder and CEO of Downtown Streets Team, and PHC’s president and CEO. “We’re grateful to the County for funding this effort to bring us to sustainability.”

At Simitian’s urging, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved $250,000 in funding last year to cover implementation of the lengthy FQHC-LAL status requirements, including:

• Longer clinic hours and 24-7 on-call physician services;
• Increased staffing and staff training;
• Improved financial management, reporting capabilities, and quality assurance; and,
• Stronger governance and compliance standards.

Further, PHC is now a primary care provider for the Santa Clara Valley Health Plan, allowing the clinic to serve low-income County patients enrolled in Medi-Cal. “That’s significant in further expanding the number of people who can use our services,” says Dr. Sheikholeslami.

Previously, PHC’s patient capacity was limited by a fixed amount of funding from hospitals and foundations. While PHC is not eligible to receive federal grant funding like a traditional FQHC, the “look-alike” designation gives the clinic substantial discounts on prescription drugs and more advantageous reimbursement rates from the federal government.

Expanding affordable local access to primary and psychiatric care is also expected to decrease the use of expensive emergency services.

“My Supervisorial District (the Fifth District, which includes cities in the North County and West Valley), is the only district without a County health clinic,” says Simitian. “That means relying solely on our network of community health clinics and non-profits to provide these essential services. Now they’re going to able to do more for more people.”

“It’s through this kind of collaboration that we can make inroads into the multiple challenges of homelessness,” Simitian adds. “Downtown Streets Team and PHC are there on the ground, offering lasting help to men, women and families. When we partner, the potential for progress is so much greater.”

Helping establish Downtown Streets Team/PHC as a federally-designated clinic builds upon earlier efforts by Simitian to increase access to affordable health care services in the North County, including:

• Preserving health services at MayView Community Health Center, which provides care for low-income residents in Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale.
• Adding specialty services at a new Planned Parenthood Clinic in Mountain View.
• Expanding youth mental health services through the ASPIRE (After-School Program Interventions and Resiliency Education) at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View.
• Offering care at the Ravenswood Clinic in East Palo Alto for Santa Clara County patients.
• Helping low-income seniors access services at the Rose Kleiner Senior Day Health Center in Mountain View.
• Funding the Saratoga Adult Care Center.
• Providing on-site dental services at the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park in Palo Alto.
   

Downtown Streets Team – founded in Palo Alto in 2005 and now in nine California cities – was recognized in 2018 by the League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties’ Joint Homelessness Task Force as a “best practice” for its effective support of people experiencing homelessness.

Peninsula Healthcare Connection (PHC) – a health clinic located at the Opportunity Center in Palo Alto – provides comprehensive healthcare and intensive case management for homeless individuals or those at risk of becoming homeless.

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