Representative Jim Dunnigan is hoping to give homeless Utahns “a chance for a better life” with a bill he is sponsoring this session. Dunnigan’s HB 34, which recently passed through the Utah House Health and Human Services Committee, would create a respite care program for homeless Utahns.
According to Dunnigan, these individuals frequently cycle in and out of care settings. The respite care program aims to address this issue by establishing a place for homeless individuals to continue to receive treatment and recover after they are released from the emergency room.
Hospitals would be able to contact the respite care center when they believe a homeless patient is ready to leave the emergency room to coordinate a transfer to the care center.