Transportation
Can they get there?
Help coordinate an appropriate ride and confirm that the logistics are actually in place.
Hospital-to-home support
Practical help after hospital discharge.
AfterNest is a proposed nonprofit recovery-support pilot for vulnerable patients leaving the hospital without enough practical help at home. It pairs patients with a trained Recovery Navigator for practical, non-clinical support with transportation, technology, language navigation, appointment logistics, caregiver coordination, and community resources.
Volunteers can apply directly. Patients would join through an approved hospital referral and voluntary opt-in before discharge.
Proposed San Francisco pilotApproximately 30 days of supportHospital-linked and non-clinical
One clear handoff. One Navigator. Visible follow-through.Practical barriers are worked toward resolution, handoff, decline, or escalation.
01
TransportationCan they get there?
02
TechnologyCan they use the tools?
Patients & familiesSee how support starts→
VolunteersApply to become a Navigator→
Hospitals & sponsorsExplore the pilot model→
Academic pilot concept. AfterNest is not currently operating as a clinical service and no hospital partnership, 501(c)(3) status, sponsorship, or clinical outcome is represented as confirmed.
What AfterNest does
Reminders tell patients what to do. AfterNest helps them actually do it.
The discharge plan may be ready while real-life barriers are still unresolved. AfterNest is designed to help patients work through those practical barriers without duplicating medical care.
Technology
Can they use the tools?
Support portals, video visits, appointment details, scheduling, and other basic digital tasks.
Language / navigation
Can they work through the process?
Help organize non-clinical language, caregiver, resource, and basic-needs logistics.
The hospital owns the medicine.AfterNest supports the approved practical follow-through.Review scope →
How support works
A simple handoff with a clear owner.
Patients would opt in before discharge, then one trained Navigator stays accountable for the practical plan until priority barriers are resolved, handed off, declined, or escalated.
01Refer
A hospital team member identifies an eligible patient and offers the voluntary program.
02Match
The patient is paired with a Recovery Navigator based on needs, language, and availability.
03Resolve
The Navigator works through approved practical barriers and tracks each next step.
04Graduate
Support closes when barriers are resolved, handed off, declined, or escalated.
What support can look like
Practical help for real life.
Illustrative examples make the role concrete. The focus is on helping patients complete practical next steps, not creating another layer of medical care.
Make the ride possible
Coordinate an appropriate option, confirm pickup details, and verify that the plan is in place.
Make the tools usable
Help with portals, video visits, appointment details, scheduling, and basic digital workflows.
Make the handoff clearer
Start before discharge so patients know who is helping with approved practical next steps.
Illustrative concept imagery for the proposed service model, not photographs of an operating AfterNest program.
Become a Recovery Navigator
Turn practical follow-through into something a patient can count on.
Recovery Navigators would be trained, screened, and supervised volunteers who help with approved non-clinical tasks and know when to route a question back to the healthcare team.
Structured trainingClear boundariesSupervised roleMeaningful follow-through
Navigator role
Helpful. Reliable. Non-clinical.
1CoordinateTransportation, appointment logistics, caregiver support, and approved resources.
2NavigateTechnology, language logistics, and practical next steps.
3Follow throughStay accountable until the task has a clear outcome.
For hospitals and sponsors
Explore the pilot modelStart with one focused pilot.
The proposed San Francisco pilot would begin with one anchor hospital and a limited patient group. UCSF Health is the team’s preferred potential partner, but no partnership is confirmed.