THE CARE MANAGEMENT UNIT – THE FORTUNE SOCIETY’S OWN “HEALTHCARE CONCIERGE” As the number of people in jails and prisons requiring treatment for lifelong illnesses increases, so does the need for reentry services that are sensitive to the needs of people with chronic health problems. In response to this gap in services, The Fortune Society created the Care Management Unit (CMU), which began its work in July 2016. CMU was made possible by the Affordable Care Act, which gave state governments the authority to create “health homes” for people with Medicaid. Health homes (not to
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be confused with home health) are organizations that bring healthcare and social service providers together to improve patient care. New York State created its own health home program in 2011. Medicaid health homes work with organizations called “care management agencies” (or CMAs) to provide direct services to individuals on Medicaid who have been identified as having two or more chronic conditions and are high utilizers of the emergency room(s) for their medical needs. For those returning “home” from
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periods of incarceration, navigating a healthcare system while also trying to adjust to new environments is much more challenging. As such, Fortune created the CMU – a health home concierge, if you will – providing a team to help people reentering the community navigate their medical and mental health needs until they can manage on their own. The services provided by our Health Home/CMU staff include Medicaid activation/re-activation, Managed Care Organization selection and benefits navigation, referrals to
