Helping to create healthier communities with HouseCalls
Care, connection and community with HouseCalls
New Orleans pulses with music, culture and unforgettable food. For Ashley Shaw, it’s more than a destination. It’s where she calls home.
As a nurse practitioner for the HouseCalls program, Ashley visits members in their homes, conducting wellness assessments and connecting them to resources that can help support their health and quality of life. It’s her way of caring for the community she loves.
“New Orleans is a special place, it’s a place like no other,” Ashley said. “Working in the New Orleans area, you can see a myriad of patients. Some in an underserved area, with lots of problems accessing resources. With HouseCalls, there are ways we can help those members obtain the services they need.”
HouseCalls, which is available to most UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage members, is a yearly in-home health and wellness visit with a licensed health care practitioner. It provides a connection point in between regular doctor visits, helping to close gaps in care. The visit lasts up to an hour and includes an exam, tailored health screenings and a review of medications and supplements.
"We go over education, we go over medications, ensure that they're up to date on screenings, vaccines and make sure that they have seen a primary care doctor,” Ashley said.
By going into members’ homes, Ashley and other HouseCalls clinicians can better identify challenges that might otherwise go unnoticed — from fall risks and transportation barriers to food insecurity and social support.
Helping to improve access
While challenges to primary care access in rural areas is not uncommon, often due to long travel distances and a lack of public transportation, dense urban areas can also be “access deserts.”
This can especially be the case for people with limited mobility and who experience other disparities that come from social determinants of health: factors such as housing, transportation and food that affect more than 80% of one’s health. For example, a recent study showed that favorable neighborhood-level social determinants of health were actually associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease.1
And in New Orleans, these disparities can be wide. In fact, there is a 26-year difference in life expectancy between different ZIP codes within the city.2
“This place holds a special place in my heart. I grew up in Louisiana and with the HouseCalls program, I’ve worked statewide in Louisiana and so you get to see a wide variety,” Ashley said. “I feel the services I provide on a daily basis are beneficial for the members and they appreciate the things we do."
High-touch connection with members
Before each first visit, Ashley takes time to connect with members by phone, explaining what to expect and answering questions. She understands that inviting a healthcare professional into their home can feel unfamiliar, at first.
"Basically, I just kind of calm their fears and let them know that we are there to help," Ashley said. "We are there to ensure that they're getting everything that they need for the current diagnoses and conditions that they have."
Some of Ashley's most rewarding moments come when she can connect members with resources that make a meaningful difference in their daily lives.
For the last three years, Ashley has helped her member Jeanne manage her health, following a stroke. After the stroke, Jeanne struggled with memory issues and some weakness. With Jeanne’s daughter out of state, Ashley was able to help her navigate appointments, while keeping her family in the loop.
“Seeing these members year after year, it definitely helps with the continuity of care,” Ashley said. “These members become like family.”
For Jeanne, having access to the HouseCalls program makes her feel grateful.
“I love her like my daughter, like my family,” she said. “We need somebody like that to take care of people.”
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