ER visits plummet at housing program for vulnerable New Yorkers after nurses are hire

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In 2015, a nonprofit that helps house hundreds of New Yorkers who have a mental illness or are homeless began hiring nurses to handle non-emergency and preventative care. As a result, avoidable visits to hospital emergency rooms have fallen by half, the organization says. Housing experts say Urban Pathways’ investment in on-site health care is a novel approach they hope can become a model for other programs that provide housing and services to residents who often lack a primary care doctor and are driven to rely on hospital emergency rooms for basic care and treatment, including for things like stomach aches and nausea. ER visits are generally much more costly than primary care and can strain emergency services. But even Urban Pathways says changing habits can take time.Read the full story on Gothamist.com