Health-related social needs
Information for Oregon Health Plan (OHP) members
What are health-related social needs?
Being healthy requires more than regular check-ups, like having access to housing, healthy food, and air conditioning, to name a few. Certain OHP members may be eligible for extra non-medical services through a program called health-related social needs (HRSN). This name refers to barriers to health such as housing or food insecurity that may affect well-being.
Types of HRSN services
Climate-related supports | Housing supports | Nutrition supports
Am I eligible?
You may be eligible for some or all HRSN services if you:
- Are an OHP member
- Have a high-risk medical condition
- Are in transition—for example, if you:
- Are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless
- Were in a psychiatric facility, jail, or prison in the past year
- Were ever involved in child welfare services
- Are becoming eligible for Medicare in the next three months or enrolled in Medicare no more than nine months ago
- Are a youth with special healthcare needs
Each HRSN service type has its own additional eligibility criteria.
Climate-related supports
These include providing no-cost air conditioners, heaters, air-filtration devices, mini-refrigerators, and portable power supply units.
To be eligible for climate-related supports, you must:
- Have a health condition that makes climate events challenging or dangerous
- For air conditioners, a health condition that gets worse during hot weather
- For heaters, a health condition that gets worse when you get very cold
- For air filtration devices, a health condition that gets worse when air quality is poor
- For mini fridges, a health condition that requires temperature-controlled medication
- For portable power supply, a health condition that requires a powered medical device
- Live in a place with electricity, and be able to use the device safely
- Be in transition (see examples)
Housing supports
These include help with rent and utilities for up to 6 months, storage fees, medically necessary home modifications like wheelchair ramps or grab bars, remediation services like pest control and deep cleaning, and related hotel costs.
To qualify for rent or utilities assistance, storage fees, and tenancy services, you must:
- Be currently housed
- Need support staying housed
- Have a lease or written agreement with your landlord
- Have an income that is 30% or less than the median income in your area
- Lack sufficient resources or support networks to prevent homelessness
- Have a housing clinical risk factor
To qualify for home modifications and remediation, you must:
- Have a housing clinical risk factor; the home modification or remediation service must prevent, treat, or ameliorate the clinical risk factor
- Be in transition (see examples)
Nutrition supports
These include Medically Tailored Meals with delivery, that align with personal and cultural dietary preferences. Also includes Nutrition Education to help with choosing foods and meal preparation.
To qualify for Medically Tailored Meals or Nutrition Education services, you must:
- Have a health condition that would be improved as a result of the service.
- Be experiencing low or very low food security (this will be assessed by PacificSource when a request for HRSN Nutrition services is submitted).
- Be assessed by a Registered Dietitian, or a Primary Care Provider, to develop a medically appropriate nutrition care plan before a member can be approved for Medically Tailored Meals.
- The assessment can be in person, via telehealth, or over the phone.
Getting started
Find out if you qualify
To find out if you’re eligible for HRSN benefits, fill out the request form. Your primary care provider, coordinated care organization, caretaker, or someone else you trust can also fill out the form.
Helpful resources
Learn more about HRSN services from these resources:
Questions?
For more information about HRSN services, send an email to HealthRelatedServices@PacificSource.com.