LifeLine: Mobile Phones and Health Care Continuity for the Homeless

Due to complexities surrounding healthcare for the homeless, continuity of care is virtually nonexistent. Continuity of care refers to individualized, comprehensive health care services that are timely, accessible, and coordinated. Health care continuity has been demonstrated to reduce mortality and improve health outcomes. A literature review determined access to mobile phones could improve health care continuity among homeless individuals. LifeLine is a state and federal program providing free phones and phone service to impoverished Americans. Enrollment into LifeLine can be challenging for the homeless, who lack access to even the most basic necessities. A project was developed to assist homeless individuals with enrollment into LifeLine in order to increase mobile phone access and improve care continuity. For four weeks, LifeLine enrollment assistance was offered to homeless clients of a mobile health outreach organization in San Francisco, California. Original, anonymous pre- and post-intervention surveys were administered to collect data regarding phone access and healthcare utilization patterns among this population. All 13 participants endorsed mobile phone access; only one participant completed enrollment into LifeLine. Seventy percent of participants reported health care continuity was directly improved by phone access, endorsing consistent healthcare visits and low hospitalization rates. Ninety-two percent of participants reported preexisting awareness of LifeLine, which likely contributed to low program enrollment. This project yielded clinically significant results indicating access to mobile phones can improve health care continuity for the homeless. Improving health care continuity for this population has both ethical and economic implications and remains a public health priority.