Our services
What is recuperative care?
Short-term residential care for people who are well enough to leave hospital but have nowhere safe to finish recovering.
The gap it fills
A hospital discharges someone once they no longer need a hospital bed. That decision is about the hospital's level of care, not about whether the person has somewhere to go. For someone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, the alternative to recuperative care is often the street, and a recovery that was going well stops going well.
Also called medical respite
The two terms describe the same thing. "Medical respite" is the older clinical term; "recuperative care" is the term California uses in Medi-Cal policy. You will see both.
How it is funded in California
Recuperative care is one of the Community Supports offered by Medi-Cal managed care plans under CalAIM. The plan authorizes a stay, and the provider delivers it. There is no cost to the member.
Because it is authorized rather than open-access, a stay has a defined start and end, and continuing past the initial authorization requires the health plan to approve an extension.
Who refers
Most referrals come from hospital discharge planners, emergency department social workers, and care managers at the health plan. Some come from street medicine teams and community organizations already working with the person.
What it is not
Recuperative care is not a skilled nursing facility, not a hospital, and not permanent housing. It is a short residential stay with a defined end, aimed at finishing a recovery and leaving with a better next step than the street.
Have someone who needs a stay?
Call and we will tell you whether we can take them.