Bridging the Gap Between Hospital and Home

For many patients in the Ozarks, the hardest part of recovery begins the day they leave the hospital.

A new prescription may be waiting at the pharmacy, but the cost may be out of reach. A critical follow-up appointment may be scheduled, but there may be no reliable way to get there. Patients may also return home without the equipment they need to recover safely.

When these barriers stand between a patient and a successful recovery, the journey home can become much more difficult.

Bridge to Home, a program of the CoxHealth Foundation, helps close that gap by providing patients with practical support at discharge and during the critical weeks that follow.

What does a patient need to recover at home?

Sometimes, it is something as simple—and essential—as a prescription they cannot afford. When a new prescription costs more than $50 out of pocket, the source material notes that as many as three in four prescriptions may go unfilled in the first week.

For other patients, the barrier is transportation. A patient may need to return for a follow-up appointment but have no way to get there. Transportation barriers account for a quarter or more of missed medical appointments, according to the materials supporting the program.

And for patients recovering from an illness, injury or hospitalization, having the right equipment at home can make all the difference. A walker or shower chair can help a patient move safely and maintain independence during those important first weeks of recovery.

Every gift helps build a bridge home

Bridge to Home provides support where it is needed most, helping patients return home safely while easing the strain on local hospital care.

A gift can make an immediate difference:

• $35 can provide a ride home or to a follow-up visit.
• $100 can help cover a month of discharge medications.
• $250 can provide equipment to support a safe recovery at home.
• $450 can provide full discharge support for a patient with multiple needs.
• $4,500 can provide full discharge support for 10 patients.

Help a neighbor recover safely at home

Recovery should not be derailed by a prescription a patient cannot afford, a ride they cannot find or equipment they cannot access.

Through Bridge to Home, donors have an opportunity to help ensure patients have the resources they need when they leave the hospital—and a better chance to continue their recovery at home.

Your gift can help build the bridge between hospital care and a safe recovery at home.

To support Bridge to Home, visit CoxHealth Foundation at www.coxhealthfoundation.com/donate or call 417-269-7150.