Coordination of Care for Homeless Individuals with Comorbid Severe Mental Disorders and Substance-Related Disorders

Psychiatric symptoms and alcohol and drug use disorders are often diagnosed in individuals who frequent shelters and programs for homelessness. Services are often provided in a fragmented, uncoordinated manner. This study evaluates a care coordination program in dual-diagnosis patients by comparing data on 50 patients treated with standard methods and 50 patients enrolled in the care coordination program. Clinical outcomes were measured with the Hamilton Depression Scale, Positive and Negative Syndrome scale, BASIS-32, service utilization, and alcohol use. We found that care coordination is a relatively low intensity but promising intervention that may improve clinical outcomes of homeless dual-diagnosis patients.