Award of Excellence: Tackling Mental Health

摘要

The Denver Housing Authority (DHA) wins a 2017 Award of Excellence in Client and Resident Services for creating the Health Navigators (HN) program, which provides mental health education, resources, and doctor referrals. Nominated from among the NAHRO Award of Merit winners each year, the Awards of Excellence winners are chosen by national juries and honored at the annual National Conference and Exhibition in October. They represent the very best in innovative programs in assisted housing and community development. Senior and disabled residents are at greater risk for behavioral health conditions because they tend to live alone, have little behavioral health education, are low-income, and have higher instances of both uncontrolled chronic conditions and functional impairment. They are also more likely to experience domestic violence and trauma, putting them at a high risk for poor overall health. Many seniors also do not recognize the signs of depression because they often attribute its symptoms as a normal part of aging. A large majority of DHA’s senior and disabled residents have inadequate health care coverage or have Medicare/Medicaid, which can make it diffcult to find mental health treatment with providers who accept their insurance. They also face multiple barriers to accessing sustainable healthcare services such as low income, disabilities, limited English and/or education, limited or no transportation, and a lack of personal health literacy. While all of DHA’s senior housing sites currently have service coordinators that provide basic referrals and case management services, they are not trained to recognize and provide referrals for medical and mental health services. The Health Navigator (HN) program was created to fill this gap in services, and to increase the physical and mental health of DHA’s residents.