Samaritan

Outreach and case management teams use Samaritan to engage high-risk individuals with capital that yields life-changing health outcomes. Users engage, stay engaged, and take action steps to improve their social determinants (like housing or primary care access). According to UnitedHealthcare (https://bit.ly/2ZheYIm), helping people address SDOH opens up needed capacity at EDs, hospitals, even jails.

Samaritan enables high-retention pathways for members to reach their housing and health goals.

Mission/Vision

Samaritan exists to give any person on or near the street the social and financial capital needed to find a home.

Type of Organization

Startup - Newly established businesses, investable

Non-Profit/Community-Based Organization

Size of Organization

0-10

Organization Mailing Address

901 24th Ave S
Seattle, WA 98144
United States

https://www.samaritan.city/

Samaritan

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1344nBJmhTNIB54SBaz8KKFfMVtB2GFNl&authuser=j%4…

In this unprecedented time, two things have never been more important: helping vulnerable populations find safe housing, and using our limited medical capacity efficiently. Outreach and care teams use Samaritan to engage individuals in high-retention pathways to reach housing and health goals.

Smart wallets-specifically designed for people without a home-provide access to social and financial capital that can yield life-changing health outcomes. Individuals set housing and health goals, then can access capital either from a team of supporters looking to support their journey or by completing positive action steps (such as completing a monthly followup visit, getting a job application in, etc). Funds are spent to address different social determinants like groceries, bills, or move-in fees.

The intervention has measurably helped individuals stabilize into social and physical homes. From there, studies show better health and significant decreases in ED dependency.

Category of Innovation

Digital Health - A digital health solution is a technology-based solution whose user is caring for or providing care for themselves (think of a personal app) or another individual (such as a doctor using a tool to help their patient)

Intended End User

Payer - Organizations responsible for issuing or administering payment for the care received by a population of people (e.g. insurance companies)

Patient - Individuals who receive health care

Provider - Individuals or organizations responsible for providing care to patients (e.g. doctors, nurses, hospital/clinic administrators, etc.)

Non-Profit/Community-Based Organization

Impactful Innovation Stage (Click Here for Details)

Impact

Problem (i.e. barrier, issue, complication, etc.) being solved for the end user

Health plans and community hospitals are driven by a mission to improve the health status of their communities. However, the trauma of poor social determinants-such as homelessness-leads to chronic use of the ED, hospital beds, and staff burnout, all which can clog patient throughput to dangerous levels. Given the recent pandemic, it is furthermore critical that our limited medical resources must be used efficiently.

Complex situations like homelessness deeply degrade a person's health, often involving exposure to the elements, to addictive substances, to a lack of sleep, food, transportation, and social support. To reduce an individual's need for emergency services and improve their health, outreach and case management teams must help a higher % of individuals improve their SDOH.

However, individuals with poor determinants often do not regularly engage preventative care, resulting in a continuing cycle of ED admissions and worsening health outcomes.

Idea/solution to the problem, if applicable

More providers are realizing the responsibility (and business imperative) to help patients improve SDOH. High-utilizer case management teams are tasked to engage patients and navigate them to solutions like housing or partnered community-based organizations (CBOs).

Samaritan has designed smart wallets for and with people experiencing homelessness. High-utilizer case managers and partnered CBOs use the smart wallets to engage at-risk individuals they seek to serve. Patients set housing and health goals alongside their CM and then can access financial and social capital from the community to successfully complete action steps in their care plan.

Impact (i.e. measurable outcomes), if applicable

In a proof-of-concept pilot in Seattle, ten care providers partnered with us to engage 500 homeless participants. 224 participants (45%) improved different SDOH (such as food, transportation, utilities, professional and social support) during an average 24-weeks. An additional 51 participants (10%) entered permanent housing, full-time employment or full-time treatment during this time.
Testimonies were collected fall 2019 to share with Seattle City Council and healthcare groups regarding a 2020 expansion.
hear from care providers: http://bit.ly/2INxbUn
hear from end beneficiaries: http://bit.ly/3cZvcKl

Funding Stage

Seed

Certifications?