ABQ Times

The City of Albuquerque, in collaboration with several partners, has announced the opening of the Medical Respite Center at Gateway Center. This facility is designed to provide a safe and medically supervised environment for unsheltered individuals recovering from illness or injury. The center spans 22,500 square feet and is expected to begin welcoming clients early this year.

Daniel Rowan, Sr. Program Manager at Project ECHO and Board Member of Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless, emphasized the importance of the center: “I understand what it means to be on the street with nowhere to go, and I know that this center will offer more than just medical support—it will offer dignity, safety, and hope.”

Mayor Tim Keller highlighted the significance of this initiative by stating, “Everyone deserves a safe and supportive environment to heal, and the new Medical Respite Center will fill this crucial service gap and free up space in our hospitals.”

A report by Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless indicates that readmission rates are twice as high for homeless individuals compared to others. Additionally, recent data shows that people who are unhoused have a 60% greater mortality risk than other low-income individuals.

Gilbert Ramirez, Director of Health, Housing and Homelessness, described medical respite as a transformational service: “Medical Respite will be a transformational new service that provides an appropriate response to help the most vulnerable in our community while also offering another pathway to housing within our Gateway Network.”

The Medical Respite Center will operate through a collaborative effort involving UNM Hospital, Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless, and First Nations Community Healthsource. It will feature 50 beds in individual and shared rooms with an average stay of 45 to 60 days per patient. In its first year alone, it is expected to serve approximately 400 individuals.

Jennifer Metzler, CEO of Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless expressed enthusiasm about launching comprehensive services after an eight-year planning process: “Following an eight-year planning process led by Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless...we are thrilled to see this ambitious project come to fruition.”

Kate Becker from UNM Hospital added insight into patient care coordination: “Our teams will coordinate transitions so that our unhoused patients find their way here for their respite care.”

Heading Home has been selected as the operator through a competitive RFP process. They will oversee integrated health care services alongside Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless which includes public benefits enrollment among other responsibilities.

The city has allocated $900k in Housing Voucher funding towards supporting this program's efforts towards securing permanent housing solutions.