Coming Soon: Standards for Medical Respite Care Programs: 2026 Update |
Regular and consistent review ensures the Standards for Medical Respite Care Programs (the Standards) reflect the growth, changes, and newly established evidence to guide best practices in medical respite care. NIMRC and the RCPN Steering Committee determined that a 5-year review cycle of the Standards would implement this best practice and support the Standards’ responsiveness to changes in medical respite care, health care practices, and policy.
This year, the RCPN Steering Committee created a work group to complete the 5-year review (2026) process. The updated Standards will be published in August 2026, and a webinar will be held on August 26th to review the updates and implications for medical respite care programs.
|
Newly Available Resources |
IV Antibiotics in Medical Respite Care Programs Resources
|
|
|
|
Hello fellow RCPN members,
As we celebrate the sixth anniversary of the National Institute for Medical Respite Care, I've found myself reflecting on just how much our field has evolved.
When I first became involved with the Respite Care Providers' Network and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, medical respite programs were still fighting to demonstrate their value. Today, we have a growing body of evidence, expanding partnerships, and programs across the country proving every day that medical respite care changes lives.
|
|
| |
|
At the same time, we know the work has become increasingly complex. Across our network, many of us are navigating uncertain funding environments while demand for services continues to grow. Building sustainable funding for medical respite remains one of our greatest opportunities—and one that will require continued collaboration with health systems, policymakers, and community partners.
Another challenge we share is supporting the workforce that makes this care possible. Our teams bring extraordinary compassion, expertise, and resilience to work every day, often caring for individuals with highly complex medical and social needs. Investing in our staff through mentorship, training, and professional development is essential if we want our programs—and our people—to thrive.
As our field continues to mature, we also have an opportunity to keep raising the bar for the care we provide. By sharing best practices, measuring outcomes, embracing innovation, and learning from one another, we strengthen not only our own programs but medical respite care nationwide.
What has always inspired me most about this network is our willingness to collaborate. No program has all the answers, but together we've built a community that openly shares ideas, resources, successes, and lessons learned. That spirit of partnership has been instrumental in advancing our field over the past six years, and I believe it will be just as important as we face the challenges ahead.
Thank you for the work you do every day and for the commitment you bring to this community. It has been a privilege to serve alongside so many dedicated colleagues through the Steering Committee and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. I look forward to continuing our work together as we strengthen medical respite care and ensure every person we serve has the opportunity to recover with dignity, safety, and hope.
Warmly,
Laurel Derks Nelson Chair, Respite Care Providers Network Steering Committee
|
|
|
|
2026 Willie J. Mackey National Medical Respite Award
|
Congratulations to the 2026 Willie J. Mackey Award winner, Mary De Guzman! Mary oversees recuperative care at four locations with Good Samaritan Shelter in Santa Barbara, California. Through her work, she has cultivated a deep understanding of the barriers faced by the homeless population, striving to bridge the gap between healthcare services and those who need them most. Her passion lies in honoring the lives of the underprivileged and ensuring they receive the care they deserve. Known for second chances, Mary leads her team and hopes to inspire others in the community with her motto, “If not us, then who?”
|
|
| |
|
RCPN Steering Committee Update |
|
|
|
The Respite Care Providers’ Network (RCPN) Steering Committee had its first convening to begin the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The Steering Committee welcomed Laurel Nelson (Center for Respite Care) as the new Chair and Sharon Taylor (Circle the City) as Vice Chair. They also welcomed Pia Valvassori (Orlando HCCH), Lynnette Namba (Kaiser Permanente), Deby Wolford (Encompass Housing), and Rolande Tellier (The Gathering Inn) as new members.
The Steering Committee would like to extend a thank you to Ashley Brand (CommonSpirit Health), Brooks Ann McKinney (NC DHHS), Miriah Nunnaley (Colorado Coalition for the Homeless), and Susannah King (Hennepin County HCH), who recently completed their terms on the Committee.
The RCPN Steering Committee will continue to focus its efforts on activities outlined in the work plan and serve as a resource to the entire Respite Care Providers’ Network and NIMRC. Click here to learn more about the RCPN Steering Committee.
|
|
|
|
Join our RCPN Role-Specific Meet-Ups
|
These virtual gatherings provide an opportunity to meet others in similar roles across the country, facilitate connection, and discuss issues and strategies for serving within specific roles in medical respite programs. These meetups are interactive conversations, and attendees should come prepared to introduce themselves and engage with others. We hope to see you there!
|
Webinar- Standards for Medical Respite Care Programs: 2026 Update
|
The Standards for Medical Respite Care Programs (the Standards) serve as a framework to help medical respite care programs operate safely, effectively, and seamlessly with local health care systems, and to promote program development and growth. The Standards create a foundation for program operations that can be applied to any Model of Medical Respite Care, despite variations in program size, facility, or scope. In order to ensure that the Standards remain reflective of changes in the field, the Standards undergo a review process on a 5-year cycle, to identify the need for updates and revisions. As a result, the Standards were reviewed and updated in 2026.
This webinar will provide an overview of the updates and revisions, describe how programs can use the Standards for program operations, the alignment with the Standards and the Framework for Medical Respite Care, and implications for the field including the NIMRC Certification process.
Wednesday August 26th at 3 p.m. Eastern
|
Webinar - Changes to Medicaid 1115 Waivers: What the Medical Respite Community Needs to Know
|
Over a dozen states use Medicaid 1115 waivers to fund medical respite care. Recently, CMS issued new guidance to states changing how “budget neutrality” in Medicaid 1115 waivers will be evaluated at the federal level. Our new fact sheet outlines the changes that states must adopt and the action steps that the Medical Respite Care Community should be taking to help states comply with the new rules. Join this discussion to learn more about the changes to these waivers and hear from HCH leadership and Medicaid staff in Washington State about how they are preparing for these new requirements.
The Status of Statewide Medicaid Benefits for Medical Respite / Recuperative Care continues to evolve. If your state has advanced state-level legislation or an 1115 waiver to make medical respite care a billable service, or has declined to pursue this benefit, please reach out to Samantha to share any updates
Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 2 p.m. Central
|
Webinar – Space Guidelines in Medical Respite Care Programs
|
Because of the variability in medical respite programs across the country, there have been minimal space guidelines to support organizations that wish to develop or expand their medical respite care facilities. Cannon Design partnered with the National Health Care for the Homeless Council to establish a national evidence-based guideline to inform the planning and design of medical respite facilities. These guidelines are based on best practices in medical, residential, and long-term care facility design, and were adapted to be applicable to the needs of medical respite programs and in alignment with the NIMRC Framework for Medical Respite Care.
These webinars will provide an overview of how programs and organizations can use the approach of “form follows function” to integrate their Model of Care, workflows, and Standards to inform the design, adjacencies, and attributes of the space to create trauma-informed and functional facilities. Presenters will describe the guidelines and recommendations for how communities and organizations can apply these guidelines in practice.
|
- Wednesday September 30th will introduce the guidelines and dive into the client sleeping and bathroom spaces.
- Wednesday October 14th will cover the remaining areas including community spaces and functional operations spaces.
|
RCPN All Member Meeting – Updates and Guiding Principles
|
All Member Meetings provide an opportunity to join together with other medical respite program providers and administrators to discuss key issues affecting medical respite care. We will provide updates on NIMRC, resource, and policy issues. This will be followed by a short presentation and large group discussion on current issues affecting the field, where attendees have the opportunity to connect with each other, share experiences, and learn insights from other programs.
This All Member Meeting will be in the first in a series to provide a more in-depth look at the Guiding Principles for Medical Respite Care, and include a panel discussion of how programs have actively worked to use the Guiding Principles as an approach to their operations and services.
October 28th, 2026 at 3 p.m. Eastern
| |
|
|
|
Respite Kudos + Accomplishments |
|
|
|
Congratulations, Dr. Babu! |
Heywood Healthcare in Gardner, MA has appointed Dr. Kavita Babu, a longtime physician leader at UMass Memorial Health and professor at UMass Chan Medical School, as its next chief medical officer and vice president of medical affairs. “Dr. Babu’s depth of experience, clinical expertise, and commitment to patient-centered care make her an outstanding addition to our leadership team,” Heywood President and CEO Rozanna Penney said in announcing the appointment. Congratulations, Dr. Babu!
|
|
|
|
|
Washington Learning Network In Person Event |
Thank you to everyone who joined us in May at our Washington State Medical Respite Learning Network In-Person Regional Convening, hosted in partnership with Kaiser Permanente!
It was a great opportunity to build skill, momentum and address emerging policies and practices relevant to the field of medical respite care.
This event was sponsored by Kaiser Permanente and Community Health Plan of Washington.
|
|
|
|
Certification Site Visits |
The NIMRC certification team has been busy wrapping up the second round of certification for medical respite programs. As part of the process, many peer site visits were conducted and great community connections were made. Below are photos of some of the site visits.
Hope Christian Health Center in Las Vegas, NV
|
|
|
|
| Respite site under construction, expected to open 77 non gendered beds this fall
|
|
|
|
Merced County Rescue Mission’s Hope Respite Center in Merced, CA
|
(Centered) NHCHC’s Julia Gaines with peer reviewer Geoff Johannsen, Program Officer of Hospitality House’s Community Respite Program, conduct a NIMRC Certification site visit at Merced County Rescue Mission’s Hope Respite Center in Merced, CA. This Central Valley program fosters many community partnerships to offer comprehensive client services, and their facility’s trauma-informed design creates a welcoming and inclusive environment.
|
Sojourner House and CCH/Rise Medical Respite Programs in Oak Park, IL
|
|
|
|
Sojourner House Respite with site visitor Tanya Tanksley (left) from Brown University Health / Crossroads Respite
|
|
|
RISE / CCH Medical Respite
|
|
|
|
Deborah Smith Walsh Recuperative Care in Lynn, MA
|
The Deborah Smith Walsh Recuperative Care Team (Lynn, MA) with certification site visitor Dorothy Slama from the I.M. Sulzbacher Medical Respite and NHCHC staff member, Stephen Wilder.
|
Welcome Home in Chattanooga, TN
|
Jillian Olmstead from The INN Between visiting Welcome Home of Chattanooga.
|
|
|
|
Certification site visit with Hope Services Hawaii in Hilo
|
|
| Certification site visit with Ka Hale A Ke Ola in Maui
|
|
|
|
Certification site visit with Project Vision at their new Kauai site
|
|
|
|
-
Kaiser Permanente has awarded approximately $2.75 million in local and regional community health grants to 32 nonprofit organizations across Riverside County for 2025-2026, including Illumination Foundation and Martha’s Village and Kitchen, both of whom are recuperative care providers.
-
Santa Maria’s Hope Village, which opened in March 202, utilizes a “tiny-home” model with about 94 units and offers private living spaces and recuperative care. So far, 105 clients have exited to permanent housing, and about 75% of those tracked for a year have remained housed, according to program data.
-
In Lake County, Adventist Health was approved for an expansion of the Hope Center’s recuperative care program. Congratulations!
-
Joshua’s House in Sacramento opened in the summer of 2025 and has been providing hospice and end of life care to people experiencing homelessness. A story about their first year of operations can be read here.
-
Arnold’s Place, a 50-bed medical respite center in Alameda opened in May. The new facility sits on the footprint of the long‑planned Alameda Wellness Campus.
-
St Vincent Behavioral Health Campus in Westlake is reopening after six years and will feature 205 beds of interim housing for people experiencing mental health and substance use disorders. Recuperative care will be provided on site as well.
-
Martha’s Village and Kitchen, a recuperative care provider in Indio, received a grant to support their continuing recuperative care work.
-
Health Net, one of California's Medi-Cal managed care health plans announced a $10 million investment in Encompass Housing and National Health Care and Housing Advisors to support the expansion of the Community Care Campus in Long Beach. The investment includes a dedicated children & families recuperative care program serving Medi-Cal members.
|
- Grand Junction’s HomewardBound has remodeled a former family shelter into multi-population housing. Twelve respite beds are on site and referrals are taken from nearby Intermountain Health St Mary’s Regional Hospital.
-
RecoveryWorks and Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital have formed a partnership in medical respite care. The Lakewood site is a former renovated motel. STRIDE Community Health Center provides on-site clinical care as well.
|
|
|
|
-
Dr. Jim Ireland and Dr. Scott Miscovich discuss the value of medical respite, how it saves taxpayers’ dollars, and eases strain on Hawaii’s health care system, among other benefits.
-
CMS awarded $50 billion in December via its Rural Health Transformation Program. One of the recipients, Hawaii, plans to expand its medical respite model to rural areas to reduce preventable hospital use among unhoused or post-acute patients with low medical acuity.
-
The AARP awarded $12,000 to Project Vision Hawai‘i in Kaua‘i to build a wheelchair accessible ramp at their medical respite site.
|
-
A paper was released in June through the Cureus Journal of Medical Science, focusing on barriers to cancer care among people experiencing homelessness in Chicago. Several respite programs in the area were interviewed, and the paper can be found here.
|
-
In St Louis, Three Steps Home is opening a medical respite facility in May. The public radio segment can be listened to here. Additional information about their medical respite work can be found, as well as an interview with Julia Dobbins, director of medical respite care for NHCHC.
- SSM Health Foundation in St Louis has launched a community health impact fund of $10 million. The fund will be used in part to fund a new medical respite program in partnership with Haven Recovery Homes and LIV Sober Living.
-
Kansas City’s Carehouse currently has 16 medical respite beds beds, and will add 26 additional respite beds after renovations, which began in June.
|
|
|
|
-
Bismarck’s Stepping Stone Medical Respite, a ministry led by Sister Idelle Badt, has been filling a critical need in their community for medical respite. Personal stories and examples of strong community partnerships can be found here.
|
|
|
|
-
The Center for Respite Care has been providing medical respite for its Cincinnati community for over 23 years. They are currently raising funds for a capital campaign and will relocate to a new facility which will permit expansion of the Center’s successful programs. They have also announced the recipients of their 2026 Transformation Awards, which can be found here.
|
|
|
|
-
The Medical Respite on Cedar in Philadelphia opened in 2023 and has 20 beds. A story about their successes can be read here.
-
Project HOME opened a new respite center in Philadelphia, Hawthorne House, which increases their total respite bed capacity from 10 to thirty.
|
|
| |
-
The Salvation Army of Greenville, Pickens and Oconee counties has unveiled new designs for the multimillion-dollar renovation of its shelter campus near downtown Greenville. The new Center of Hope facility will include 8 medical respite beds.
|
|
|
|
-
Central Health’s Respite Center in Austin and Dr Audrey Kuang had a significant impact on a respite client’s life and healing, which can be read here.
|
-
Jillian Olmsted, ED and CEO of The INN Between in Salt Lake City, wrote a piece for the Salt Lake Tribune on the value of medical respite care and end of life care for people experiencing homelessness.
|
-
U.S. Rep. Emily Randall (D-WA), helped secure nearly $18 million for 15 community projects across the Kitsap County area. $1.7 million will go to Peninsula Community Health Services to build a medical respite center in Bremerton.
|
|
|
|
If you have a news story recognizing a medical respite care program, please share it with us by emailing Caitlin at csynovec@nhchc.org.
|
|
|
|
If you are not already a member, please join the Respite Care Providers Network (RCPN). The mission of RCPN is to improve the health status of individuals who are homeless by supporting programs that provide medical respite and related services. Follow this clink for more information and how to join the RCPN: https://nhchc.org/medical-respite/rcpn/
Is your medical respite program profile in the our directory up to date? Complete this program profile form to update your information and view the directory here https://nhchc.org/medical-respite/directory/.
Does your program need technical assistance? Please contact us to request a TA meeting to help address your program’s needs!
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council offers Organizational Members an opportunity to list job openings on our careers page. Those seeking employment in the HCH field can find jobs listed from all across the United States.
Additional resources for medical respite can be found at https://nhchc.org/medical-respite/nimrc/
|
|
|
|
Grab Our Merch and Support Our Work |
|
|
|
Grab our merch and support our work! We have shirts, hats, mugs, and more in our online shop. Every purchase made helps fund our programs and advocacy efforts, so grab some gear today!
|
|
| |
|
|
Copyright © 2026 National Health Care for the Homeless Council, Inc.
|
|
|
|
Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
|
100 Powell Place #1558 | Nashville, TN 37204 US
|
|
|
|
This email was sent to allstaff@nhchc.org.
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
|
| |
|
|
