This study, funded as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Systems for Action research program, tests the feasibility of an integrated system of medical, social and public health programming designed to improve outcomes for youth experiencing homelessness in Hennepin County, Minnesota.  The study organizes community-engaged consensus building sessions with stakeholders from medical, social and public health systems and with youth experiencing homelessness in order to co-create strategies for system alignment, including multi-sector data integration, shared clinical practice guidelines, and co-location of health and social services for youth experiencing homelessness. Focus groups and interviews with key stakeholders are used to assess the feasibility of implementing the proposed system alignment strategies.  The study is conducted by the University of Minnesota's Youth Health and Housing Lab in collaboration with the Hennepin County Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, the Minnesota Department of Health, the Hennepin Healthcare system, Minnesota Community Care, and local youth serving agencies.

Principal Investigators

• Janna Gewirtz O'Brien, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota