How Telehealth is Connecting the Unhoused to Care in SC

Housing instability encompasses various challenges related to housing, including difficulties paying rent, overcrowding and being periodically or permanently unhoused. Itis a critical social determinant of health, impacting physical and mental health and the ability to seek and receive healthcare services.Patient populations who are unhoused face significant hurdles to care access, a higher risk of disease and death, and poorer health outcomes because of this social determinant of health. As a result, health systems must develop creative ways to connect with these groups.For Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC Health), the approach took the form of a hybrid in-person and virtual care program that reduces barriers to care for the unhoused in Charleston, South Carolina.