Molina Healthcare of California and Healthcare in Action to Use Samaritan to Help Patients Overcome Barriers to Housing

San Diego, CA, Feb. 21, 2023, - Molina Healthcare of California recently partnered with Healthcare in Action, a street-based medical group that provides comprehensive healthcare services for behavioral health and substance use disorders, as well as housing navigation and care management support for individuals experiencing homelessness. The partnership aims to provide homeless residents with memberships to Samaritan, a platform that gives members direct financial and social support towards housing and life goals. Members get access to the Samaritan platform from clinical staff at Healthcare in Action, sharing their life goals and breaking them down into action steps (such as meeting with a housing specialist, accessing primary care, or submitting a job application). From there, members earn financial bonuses for taking small, but difficult action steps towards achieving their goals. The platform also connects members to social support by inviting local citizens to help meet urgent needs (such as clothing, phone service, or move-in fees), and encourages participants as they take steps to improve their health & housing. As a current Samaritan Member, Thomas said, “I'm incrementally overcoming each hurdle each day. I am ultimately finding the person that I lost touch with years ago. I know that I can do it, and I can see the finish line.”

More than 50% of Samaritan members measurably improve access to care, housing, employment and other categories. These outcomes are linked to significant reductions in hospitalizations, emergency department visits and jail time, among other public services. Members are not required to have a bank account, cellphone, address, or legal documentation; they can use their smart wallet to redeem funds with clinical staff and local merchants, as well as securely store critical documents. Samaritan guarantees that at least $100,000 will be placed into the initial 200 members’ hands, with a goal to exceed $200,000 by December 2024.

Healthcare in Action’s CEO Dr. Michael Hochman explained, “Healthcare in Action is excited to partner with Samaritan to provide access to their platform to our patients. In addition to stabilizing the health of unhoused patients, Healthcare in Action strives to help our patients achieve stable housing, and we believe that the Samaritan app is an important tool to help them achieve this goal."

Molina CA’s plan president Abbie Totten added, “With the unique capabilities of Healthcare in Action & Samaritan, we can better serve our unhoused members, while helping them with critical healthcare needs and life goals. We are excited to launch this partnership to meet our members where they are and provide meaningful support for their journey toward self-determination.”

“It’s not about changing the world – it’s about changing someone’s world right now. Through our app and the generosity of the Southern California community, this is a possibility that’s already begun" says Jonathan Kumar, founder of Samaritan.

About Samaritan

Despite the undeniable visibility of the problem, it is not being seen that deeply marks someone experiencing homelessness. Samaritan exists to help people gain the social and financial support needed to find a home. To sponsor a Samaritan Member in San Diego, download the Samaritan app or contact Samaritan to arrange a demo for your organization.

About Healthcare in Action?

Healthcare in Action (HIA) is a medical group that provides care via “street medicine” to older adults and individuals experiencing homelessness through its Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports (CS) services to people where they are. To date, HIA’s interdisciplinary mobile teams, which are comprised of medical providers, nurses, community health workers, and social workers, serve more than 1,000 patients in six counties across Northern and Southern California. Healthcare in Action was launched in 2022 by the SCAN Group, a mission-driven organization that is tackling some of the biggest issues in health care for older adults. For more information, visit HealthcareInAction.org or www.thescangroup.org.?

About Molina?

Molina Healthcare of California is a Medicaid Managed Care Plan serving 5.1 million members. This partnership is being funded by Molina’s Housing and Homeless Incentive Program (HHIP), a Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) initiative to incentivize MCOs to invest in patient’s housing. Technically, these HHIP funds are being given to our Implementing Partner, Healthcare in Action (HIA) who will then distribute the funds to Samaritan. www.molinahealthcare.com/