Founder of Illumination Foundation Paul Leon Launches National Healthcare & Housing Advisors
LAGUNA HILLS...Longtime public health leader and recognized advocate for the homeless Paul Leon, RN, BSN, PHN, has recently founded National Healthcare & Housing Advisors - https://www.nhhadvisors.com
Headquartered in Laguna Hills, California, the multi-faceted, independent organization provides a variety of vital services that help clients successfully integrate healthcare and homeless care services delivery across the nation. Areas of expertise include medical respite recuperative care, integrated solutions to address the housing crisis, advanced data analytics, medical billing, and recruitment and workforce equity through nursing.
Leon is the former CEO and president of Illumination Foundation (IF), a nonprofit organization he founded in 2008, whose mission is to disrupt the cycle of homelessness. He established IF as a uniquely healthcare-focused homeless services provider, leading innovative healthcare and housing solutions.
He pioneered Illumination Foundation’s Recuperative Care/Medical Respite Program to manage the discharge of homeless patients from hospitals, making it the largest provider of Recuperative Care in the United States. In 2021, Illumination Foundation was listed as one of the top ten nonprofit organizations in Orange County.
Leon serves on several advisory committees, including the UC Irvine School of Nursing and the Mental Health Association of Orange County. He conducts classes for leading institutions such as the USC School of Social Work, and UCI’s School of Medicine. He consults CHOC’s Residency Program and the Kaiser Family Resident Program, and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC).
He has been named a Senior Fellow of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, an initiative of the AARP Foundation, AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Leon’s innovative work has been recognized by the PIMCO Leadership Circle Award and the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award.
Most recently, Leon was named one of ten AARP Well-Being Champions to “recognize those championing change across America in the areas of health and well-being.” In 2019, he won the AARP Purpose Prize Award, which honors “extraordinary people ages 50 and older who’ve dedicated their lives to serving others in creative and innovative ways.”
“We have created NHHA to meet our goals to advise, research, and publicize public health models in an effort to end homelessness,” said Leon. “I am honored to be a lifelong champion for the ever-growing issues of poverty, homelessness, and healthcare. Our work will highlight integrative strategies modeling best practices in housing, healthcare, and homeless services delivery as we help build the future of housing and healthcare.”
Leon has assembled a top-notch executive team with years of success and achievement in the company’s key service areas, especially medical respite and recuperative care that includes medical monitoring, counseling and case management for people experiencing homelessness who are medically vulnerable. The company’s current roster of clients is in California with outreach under way in the states of Alaska, Maine, Minnesota, and Washington.
