Hospital Diversion Program

Emergency Room Enhancement

0%
Decrease in Hospital Stays
0%
Decrease in ER Visits
0%
Decrease in Homeless Participants

The Hospital Diversion program (Emergency Room Enhancement) is a collaboration of safety net providers who have agreed to divert persons with psychiatric and addiction disorders from hospitals to alternative services in order to prevent multiple non-emergent and costly hospital visits.

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The target population includes those who frequent emergency rooms and inpatient services. Most are below the federal poverty level and more than half are homeless.

Hospital Diversion Teams provide an immediate response to hospitals' requests for service including short-term, intensive response (respite care, stabilization, intensive case management) and longer-term supports that promote self-sufficiency (aftercare planning, transportation, housing, disease management, and recovery).

How It Works

  • Hospital or agency staff identifies the patient as appropriate for the program and contacts the referral line.
  • Intensive outreach case managers connect with the patient at the hospital, in the community, or at their residence to assist with discharge planning and accessing community services quickly.
  • The outreach case manager will begin providing services to the patient immediately to help them stabilize. This includes accessing expedited Community Mental Health Center services as well as providing intensive outreach services until the client is transitioned to a long-term program.
  • Outreach case managers are also able to provide targeted, short-term crisis support for patients if they return to the hospital due to loss of services with their center to assist with re-engagement and stabilization.

Hospital Diversion Line
Phone (816) 347-3074
Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 7 PM
Weekends, 9 AM - 7 PM

After Hours Screening & Referral:
Artists Helping the Homeless Phone (816) 668-1007

Eligibility

  • Missouri resident
  • Uninsured or under-insured (Medicaid/Medicare counts as under-insured)
  • Psychiatric and/or substance use conditions
  • Three or more emergency room visits and/or inpatient admissions in a 90 day period
  • Referred by a medical or social service professional