Damien had a difficult life growing up. He lost his mother at an early age and struggled with drug addiction, adjustment disorder, mood disorder, and anxiety. He lived on the streets most of his life. To get by he started stealing which led to two felony convictions.
After enrolling in Mount Sinai’s Health Home, Damien started to turn his life around with support. For once in his life, Damien says he felt cared for. “They provided the ability for me to be able to feel comfortable asking for help.” His Health Home Care Manager would call him up to check on how he was doing and support him at both his medical appointments and visits to the human resource agency where he enrolled in benefits, secured income and looked for job opportunities. Damien is now able to do important things such as paying the bills on time and he is currently writing a book.
Health Homes don’t work alone. Care Managers coordinate multidisciplinary treatment teams to meet the needs of the individuals they serve. They are the thread that helps knit the system together to create a meaningful safety net for individuals with multiple complex health, behavioral health and social service needs like Damien.