Better Health Through Housing | UI Health
Source: http://hospital.uillinois.edu/about-ui-health/community-relations/better-health-through-housing
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:12
Better Health Through Housing | UI Health
Skip to Content
ES
866.600.CARE
Find a Doctor
Request an Appointment
Locations
MyChart
Billing & Pricing
Contact Us
Español
866.600.CARE
Call Us 866.600.CARE
Primary & Specialty Care
Patients & Visitors
Referring Physicians
About UI Health
Find a Doctor
Request an Appointment
Locations
MyChart
Pay A Bill
Contact Us
Primary & Specialty Care
At UI Health, our foundation in academic excellence leads to new possibilities in healthcare. We take pride in serving Chicago and are committed to keeping your family healthy.
Find a Doctor
Make An Appointment
Locations
MyChart
Billing & Pricing
Contact Us
Call Us
866.600.CARE
For Patients & Visitors
A visit to the hospital can be overwhelming. At UI Health, we strive to make the patient and visitor experience as stress-free and comfortable as possible.
Find a Doctor
Make An Appointment
Locations
MyChart
Billing & Pricing
Contact Us
Call Us
866.600.CARE
For Referring Physicians
About UI Health
The University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics is a patient-centered organization. Providing safe, high-quality and cost-effective care for our patients is our foremost responsibility. The care of our patients and their families will always be at the heart of our mission.
Our Mission
Find a Doctor
Make An Appointment
Locations
MyChart
Billing & Pricing
Contact Us
Call Us
866.600.CARE
Community Relations
Additional
Navigation
Home
/
About UI Health
/
Community Relations
/
Better Health Through Housing
Print
Community Relations
Community Partners
Meet the Team
Annual Events
Better Health Through Housing
Community Assessment of Health Needs
Office Of Diversity And Community Health Equity
Better Health Through Housing
Improving the Health of Our Community Through Housing and Support
There is an ongoing problem in emergency rooms across the country: A small contingent of visitors — often poor and afflicted with disease like diabetes, congestive heart failure, kidney disease, mental illness, and substance abuse — account for a disproportionately large amount of ER-related healthcare costs. Commonly referred to as "frequent fliers," a significant percentage of this group also is chronically homeless.
Chronic homelessness is one of society's most intractable social issues, and it bears devastating health consequences. The chronically homeless have an increased risk of poor outcomes from persistent disease, and they live up to 15 years less than the average American. UI Health believes that one of the first steps to improving the health of these patients is by helping them secure permanent housing with a steadfast support system. Because of this, UI Health launched Better Health Through Housing.
Better Health Through Housing, a partnership with the Center for Housing and Health, aims to reduce healthcare costs and provide stability for the chronically homeless by moving individuals directly from hospital emergency rooms into stable, supportive housing, with intensive case management. The UI Health Hospital & Clinics committed $250,000 to help launch the initiative, and it is the only Chicago-area hospital working on this type of healthcare-and-housing enterprise.
The initiative's combination of healthcare, housing, and"Improving the health of our community is at the core of UI Health's mission, which is why we are so passionate about this project," says Dr. Avijit Ghosh, CEO of the UI Health Hospital & Clinics. "A stable environment is the first step toward establishing long-term health. Better Health Through Housing is taking proven steps to positively impact the health and lives of Chicago's most vulnerable individuals." Better Health Through Housing is based on the
Housing First
strategy for addressing homelessness. Along with housing, individuals are assigned a case manager who helps them with scheduling medical appointments and managing money, and refers them to other needed services. human services fosters a sense of home, independence, and self-determination to help speed individuals' reintegration into the community, promotes long-term health, and reduces overall healthcare costs.
"We see funding housing as a way of improving health," says Ghosh. "Actions like this are important to address the problems facing our community. By helping those who rely on UI Health, we're improving the health of both the individuals and our community overall."
View full infographic(.pdf)
Find a Doctor
Request an Appointment
Locations
Contact Us
Accessible Care
Privacy Policy
MyChart (Patient Portal)
Accepted Insurance Plans
Price Transparency
Pay a Bill
Give a Gift
Career Opportunities
Employee Intranet
Marketing Toolkit
UIC.edu
Website Feedback
Site Map
GENERAL INFORMATION
866.600.CARE (2273)
University of Illinois Hospital
1740 West Taylor Street
Chicago, IL 60612
© 2026 University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System
Find a Doc
Schedule
Locations
MyChart
Contact Us
Skip to Content
ES
866.600.CARE
Find a Doctor
Request an Appointment
Locations
MyChart
Billing & Pricing
Contact Us
Español
866.600.CARE
Call Us 866.600.CARE
Primary & Specialty Care
Patients & Visitors
Referring Physicians
About UI Health
Find a Doctor
Request an Appointment
Locations
MyChart
Pay A Bill
Contact Us
Primary & Specialty Care
At UI Health, our foundation in academic excellence leads to new possibilities in healthcare. We take pride in serving Chicago and are committed to keeping your family healthy.
Find a Doctor
Make An Appointment
Locations
MyChart
Billing & Pricing
Contact Us
Call Us
866.600.CARE
For Patients & Visitors
A visit to the hospital can be overwhelming. At UI Health, we strive to make the patient and visitor experience as stress-free and comfortable as possible.
Find a Doctor
Make An Appointment
Locations
MyChart
Billing & Pricing
Contact Us
Call Us
866.600.CARE
For Referring Physicians
About UI Health
The University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics is a patient-centered organization. Providing safe, high-quality and cost-effective care for our patients is our foremost responsibility. The care of our patients and their families will always be at the heart of our mission.
Our Mission
Find a Doctor
Make An Appointment
Locations
MyChart
Billing & Pricing
Contact Us
Call Us
866.600.CARE
Community Relations
Additional
Navigation
Home
/
About UI Health
/
Community Relations
/
Better Health Through Housing
Community Relations
Community Partners
Meet the Team
Annual Events
Better Health Through Housing
Community Assessment of Health Needs
Office Of Diversity And Community Health Equity
Better Health Through Housing
Improving the Health of Our Community Through Housing and Support
There is an ongoing problem in emergency rooms across the country: A small contingent of visitors — often poor and afflicted with disease like diabetes, congestive heart failure, kidney disease, mental illness, and substance abuse — account for a disproportionately large amount of ER-related healthcare costs. Commonly referred to as "frequent fliers," a significant percentage of this group also is chronically homeless.
Chronic homelessness is one of society's most intractable social issues, and it bears devastating health consequences. The chronically homeless have an increased risk of poor outcomes from persistent disease, and they live up to 15 years less than the average American. UI Health believes that one of the first steps to improving the health of these patients is by helping them secure permanent housing with a steadfast support system. Because of this, UI Health launched Better Health Through Housing.
Better Health Through Housing, a partnership with the Center for Housing and Health, aims to reduce healthcare costs and provide stability for the chronically homeless by moving individuals directly from hospital emergency rooms into stable, supportive housing, with intensive case management. The UI Health Hospital & Clinics committed $250,000 to help launch the initiative, and it is the only Chicago-area hospital working on this type of healthcare-and-housing enterprise.
The initiative's combination of healthcare, housing, and"Improving the health of our community is at the core of UI Health's mission, which is why we are so passionate about this project," says Dr. Avijit Ghosh, CEO of the UI Health Hospital & Clinics. "A stable environment is the first step toward establishing long-term health. Better Health Through Housing is taking proven steps to positively impact the health and lives of Chicago's most vulnerable individuals." Better Health Through Housing is based on the
Housing First
strategy for addressing homelessness. Along with housing, individuals are assigned a case manager who helps them with scheduling medical appointments and managing money, and refers them to other needed services. human services fosters a sense of home, independence, and self-determination to help speed individuals' reintegration into the community, promotes long-term health, and reduces overall healthcare costs.
"We see funding housing as a way of improving health," says Ghosh. "Actions like this are important to address the problems facing our community. By helping those who rely on UI Health, we're improving the health of both the individuals and our community overall."
View full infographic(.pdf)
Find a Doctor
Request an Appointment
Locations
Contact Us
Accessible Care
Privacy Policy
MyChart (Patient Portal)
Accepted Insurance Plans
Price Transparency
Pay a Bill
Give a Gift
Career Opportunities
Employee Intranet
Marketing Toolkit
UIC.edu
Website Feedback
Site Map
GENERAL INFORMATION
866.600.CARE (2273)
University of Illinois Hospital
1740 West Taylor Street
Chicago, IL 60612
© 2026 University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System
Find a Doc
Schedule
Locations
MyChart
Contact Us