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Trump talked to Putin, told Russian leader not to escalate in Ukraine; AZ passes abortion measure, advocates still concerned about a Trump presidency; Environmental advocates sue Montana over public documents; Los Angeles tackles hunger with new Office of Food Equity.

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A former Harris aide calls for Biden to resign so Harris can briefly take the presidency. Trump wins Arizona, but so does Democrat Ruben Gallego. And AI experts warn that recent election fraud videos were Russian deep fakes.

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Texas women travel some of the longest distances for abortion care, Californians the shortest, rural living comes with mixed blessings for veterans, an ancient technique could curtail climate-change wildfires, and escape divisive politics on World Kindness Day.

Housing, health care meet in innovative WA program

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Tuesday, October 31, 2023   

Having a home is critical to a person's health. Medicaid dollars in Washington state are helping bridge the gap between health care and housing.

Apple Health, Washington's Medicaid program, has an initiative called Apple Health And Homes. It's among the first in the nation to provide funds to help certain people on Medicaid find and secure housing.

Matt Christie, a supervisor with the Health Care Authority's Foundational Community Supports program, explained the state is shifting the landscape on how to pay for housing support services.

"The innovative thing that our program did was bring Medicaid into the space of paying for support services as part of someone's health insurance," he said.

Apple Health and Homes is for people who qualify for the Foundational Community Supports program, including folks who are chronically homeless, have behavioral health needs or suffer from substance abuse disorder.

Foundational Community Supports has served more than 35,000 people since 2018, Christie said, and added there are a variety of reasons why health is closely linked to housing.

"If you require medication that needs specific storage, how do you maintain appointments, and even just on a really fundamental level, if you don't have a place to sleep at night, just kind of the impact that has on your physical and mental health over time," he continued.

Scott Tankersley, a program administrator with Foundational Community Supports, said Apple Health and Homes is about more than just finding someone housing, and added his organization follows evidence-based practices from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, ensuring that people find the right community for them.

"That's really critical to Apple Health and Homes and how we pair folks with housing of their choice - to walk forward and build a path to housing stability that's according to someone's choice and preference," he said.


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