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Post by Logan on Feb 29, 2016 3:35:21 GMT -6
HONOLULU — Hawaii’s chronically homeless people will benefit from more time in programs to help them with mental health or substance abuse issues. The state was selected to participate in a special Medicaid program, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday. Many chronically homeless people who have been without a home for a year or more have issues with mental health or substance abuse, said Judy Mohr Peterson, who runs Hawaii’s Medicaid program in the state Department of Human Services. There are programs available to help Medicaid-eligible clients with mental health and substance abuse, but those programs are generally available to people with the most severe needs, which just covers the tip of the iceberg. “It’s a narrow subset of the population,” she said. Plus, the programs only last for a limited time. “They’ll be doing well for six months, but then when those supports go away, those individuals kind of regress,” Peterson said. Read more: www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/news/state/hawaii-gets-federal-help-expand-programs-homeless
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