No Fixed Address: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of a Program to Prevent Psychiatric Discharge to Homelessness
2020
This case from the Western Public Health Casebook 2020 focuses on an intervention to reduce the rate of discharge to homelessness from the psychiatric units at a group of hospitals. Najwa D'Souza, the CEO of the health system, is presented with one possible solution: a multipronged, hospital-based intervention wherein referred clients have the option of receiving streamlined Ontario Works support or meeting a local housing advocate. Though excited about the program's possibilities to reduce discharging clients to homelessness, Najwa has to conduct an economic evaluation to assess the intervention's value for money. Through this case, students take the perspective of a member on Najwa's health economics team—sifting through a variety of parameters to develop a model-based economic evaluation comparing the costs and consequences of alternative interventions.
This case contains guidance for instructors, including learning objectives and discussion questions. It is part of a 16-case collection written by students in the MPH class of the Schulich Interfaculty Program in Public Health at Western University, Canada. The cases may be freely copied and used for educational purposes by an accredited educational institution.
Source:
No Fixed Address: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of a Program to Prevent Psychiatric Discharge to Homelessness. Western Public Health Casebook 2020. Public Health Casebook Publishing 2020. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/westernpublichealthcases/vol2020/iss1/11.