How a Bay Area health coalition is bringing equity to Black patients seeking respite care

For six years, Patrick Smith wandered the streets of Hayward. The 51-year-old battled drug addiction most of his adult life. It started in his early 20s. Though he overcame the habit, Smith relapsed in his mid-40s. In 2016, his mental health worsened — he had no hospital to turn to for care.

In 2022, Smith’s turning point came when he began rehabilitation at the Herrick Campus of Sutter Health’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. After two months of care, Smith was referred to LifeLong Adeline Recuperative Care — a nonprofit medical center in Oakland providing medical and mental health services to the Bay Area’s underserved homeless population.