Mi Puente (or "My Bridge") is a culturally-tailored, interdisciplinary approach designed to support at-risk Hispanic patients and their caregivers pre- and post-hospital discharge as they navigate the multi-level barriers that contribute to inequities in health care access and use, and in turn, perpetuate disparities in cardiometabolic and behavioral health. Mi Puente utilizes a sustainable nurse + volunteer peer team-based model, bridging partnership between inpatient and outpatient care settings to meet the integrated (i.e., physical and behavioral) health needs of Hispanics who are hospitalized with multiple chronic cardiometabolic conditions and one or more behavioral health concern(s). Participants will be tested at Scripps Mercy Hospital - a large, non-profit, safety net hospital located in the US/Mexico border region of South San Diego County, California. The proposed randomized controlled trial will test Mi Puente versus Usual Care (evidence-based, best practice discharge procedures) in improving hospital utilization, patient-reported, and cost effectiveness outcomes. Electronic medical records (EMR) will be used to identify eligible patients and examine primary outcomes.

This study targets disparities in cardiometabolic disease prevalence and outcomes, and the unmet behavioral health needs in the US Hispanic population. Differences in the quantity and quality of health care targeted to and received by members of the Hispanic population contribute to these disparities. Inequities in health care access and use are likely the result of an interaction of several multi-level factors, such as those related to low Socio-Economic Status (e.g., lack of transportation or health coverage, time constraints, unsafe environments, knowledge barriers), cultural factors, language or communication-style differences, and others. Mi Puente (or "My Bridge") is a culturally-tailored, interdisciplinary approach designed to support at-risk Hispanic patients and their caregivers pre- and post-hospital discharge as they navigate the multi-level barriers that contribute to inequities in health care access and use, and in turn, perpetuate disparities in cardiometabolic and behavioral health. Mi Puente builds upon a sustainable nurse + volunteer peer team-based model and a strong collaborative, bridging partnership between inpatient and outpatient care settings to meet the integrated (i.e., physical and behavioral) health needs of Hispanics who are hospitalized with multiple chronic cardiometabolic conditions and one or more behavioral health concern(s). The program is guided by the Social Ecological Model,34 Resources and Support for Self-Management Model,35,36 and Transtheoretical Model of behavior change,37,38 and will be tested at Scripps Mercy Hospital - a large, non-profit, safety net hospital located in the US/Mexico border region of South San Diego County, California. The proposed randomized controlled trial will test Mi Puente versus Usual Care (evidence-based, best practice discharge procedures) in improving hospital utilization, patient-reported, and cost effectiveness outcomes. Electronic medical records (EMR) will be used to identify eligible patients and examine primary outcomes. Ultimately the investigators seek to evaluate an effective, culturally appropriate, sustainable, and scalable program that addresses integrated health needs and reduces health disparities in Hispanics and other at-risk populations.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Must be Hispanic
2. Must be ≥18 years
3. Must have ≥2 cardiometabolic conditions (e.g., obesity, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia ischemic heart diseases, congestive heart failure, other chronic coronary conditions)
4. Must have ≥1 behavioral health concern(s) (i.e., related to mental health, life stressors, medication adherence, healthcare use)
5. Must have telephone access

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnancy
2. Serious life-threatening condition with life expectancy < 6 months
3. Psychiatric morbidity or neurological/cognitive impairment of sufficient severity to preclude participation in the intervention
4. Discharging to location other than home (e.g., nursing care)
5. Does not speak Spanish or English

180 days

All cause mortality

The study may not have captured all readmissions since there are many regional hospitals. Other evolving approaches, such as the use of statewide health information exchanges, may improve ascertainment in future research. We did not delineate preventable from nonpreventable readmissions and did not have information on readmission acuity. Although some hospitalizations may have occurred due to COVID-19, it is likely that this affected both groups equally.