It started in August , St. Elizabeth Community Hospital submitted a P2P referral to Help Me Grow. Jennifer, her husband and their children were staying in a motel with temporary vouchers from Community Action. Her husband was hospitalized, and Jennifer spent much of her time at his bedside, making it difficult for providers to reach her.
Through P2P, the hospital and Help Me Grow stayed connected and worked together to reach Jennifer. This took several calls, motel changes and finally Help Me Grow working with the hotel owner to leave a message. On September 2, a Help Me Grow Family Resource Liaison spoke with her and arranged a resource visit for that same day.
Jennifer initially asked only for diapers and formula. During the visit, however, she shared the full weight of what her family was facing. They could no longer remain with the family friend who had been housing them previously and their motel vouchers were almostgone and Jennifer did not know where her children would sleep the next night.
The liaison was able to meet Jennifer’s most immediate needs first and through multiple county Jennifer and her entire family were able to live intoPATH transitional housing. With stable housing, she was able to follow through on Devonta’s concerns she could not have focused on previously . She was able to meet with far northern regional center and establish an IFSP for her 3 year old . Jennifer has secured a part-time job, receives monthly visits from PneumaCare and has access to medical transportation for her husband’s appointments. Most importantly, she now has a strong support system surrounding her family.
She recently reached out to her help me grow family liaison to thank her for her support and to show how much her older some had leaned. She proudly shared “he is recognizing his numbers 1-10 and always asks me to read to him he loves books. “
Jennifer’s story is P2P in action: one referral creating coordinated connections to basic needs, housing, healthcare, transportation, developmental services and ongoing support.
