A new healthcare/homelessness initiative launched will supply shelter for housing-challenged individuals in need of residence and recuperation after being discharged from a hospital stay. Numerous social services representatives and government officials attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony inside The Rescue Mission of Trenton for the opening of the Medical Respite Center. The collaboration between NJ Coalition to End Homelessness, Mercer County, Rescue Mission and other organizations provides short-term residential care that provides a safe and clean environment for homeless patients discharged from hospitals. Representatives of Mercer County health care providers filled a community room of the Rescue Mission of Trenton on Carroll St. for announcement of Respite Medical Center opening. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)Dan Benson, Mercer County executive, discussed his full support for new health initiative at the Medical Respite Center. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)Connie Mercer, CEO of NJ Coalition to End Homelessness, played key role in creation of The Medical Respite Center at the Rescue Mission of Trenton. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)Rescue Mission of Trenton CEO Barrett Young explained new outreach Medical Respite Center effort for previously hospitalized individuals. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)Several clean and quiet rooms await discharged housing-challenged guests offering a sanctuary for recuperation at the Rescue Mission of Trenton’s Medical Respite Center. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)Show Caption1 of 5Representatives of Mercer County health care providers filled a community room of the Rescue Mission of Trenton on Carroll St. for announcement of Respite Medical Center opening. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)Expand The program will offer ongoing clinical services through a registered nurse as well as other supportive services, including case management and medication oversight. The effort includes a partnership with Henry J. Austin Medical Center and Capital Health Regional Medical Center which will discharge patients to the Mission’s Respite Center. Rescue Mission CEO Barrett Young said the initiative will offer support to “individuals too ill to return to unhoused lifestyles or shelters but not sick enough to remain hospitalized.” An on-site registered nurse supported by licensed practicioner nurses will transition patients from Capital Health to The Medical Respite facility. “We will provide limited medical services here but more importantly the person will have a safe place to rest and recover. And, they will receive a gentle nudge to assure they continue follow up care after their hospital stay,” Young explained. He said that care includes reliable transportation to carry individuals to post hospitalization health care appointments, critical to their recovery. “This initiative helps people who are ready to leave the hospital but have no where to go,” Mercer County Executive Dan Benson praised. He said supporting the Medical Respite Center “made sense” and will produce better outcomes for persons trapped in a medical care limbo. Benson thanked a “county family” of individuals and organizations that advocate for disenfranchised residents. Connie Mercer, CEO of NJ Coalition to End Homelessness, partnered with Young to pitch the idea to Benson. “This could not have happened without some incredible people,” Mercer, the retired founder of HomeFront, who remains a champion for outsiders. “I can’t tell you how much joy this project brings to my heart. It’s the right thing, and the smart thing, an effort that will impact communities throughout New Jersey.”