We hope to see you in Orlando in June! |
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Register for our annual conference by Jan. 31 to receive an Early Bird discount. |
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Please join us in Orlando, June 8-11, 2026, for the National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium! Registrants reserving their spots before January 31 may use the code EB15 at checkout to receive a 15% Early Bird discount.
This gathering offers tremendous opportunity to learn, grow professionally, reconnect with colleagues, and make new connections with our community. Our theme this year is Rising Together: Community, Courage and Care.
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In addition to the main conference, be sure to check out the Medical Respite Care-focused Pre-conference Institute (PCI) and Learning Lab (LL)!
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PCI: Addressing Behavioral Health Needs in Medical Respite Care
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Medical respite care programs often provide support for people with co-occurring behavioral health needs in addition to the medical conditions that prompted their referral. These clients can especially benefit from the client-centered care and stability that medical respite care programs provide. This PCI will provide an opportunity for providers to to develop a more in-depth understanding of how behavioral health conditions can present, and will engage with presenters and interactive activities to develop skills and practical strategies for programs to better and more effectively support their clients and program.
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| LL: Starting a Medical Respite Care Program
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The Starting a Medical Respite Care Program Learning Lab will provide an opportunity for attendees to deep dive into the process of developing a medical respite program. As a Learning Lab, this session will provide an overview steps to start a program, strategies for developing and implementing critical partnerships, experiences of other programs and providers, and an opportunity to apply information to their own communities.
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Hello RCPN members,
In my two years as the Senior Medical Respite Manager for California at the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, I have seen the number of Recuperative Care (RC) programs in California nearly double. Today, California is home to more than 100 recuperative care facilities, making up one-third of all recuperative care facilities nationwide. With the introduction of the Medi-Cal initiative, CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) in 2022, recuperative care became a service reimbursable by health plans.
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This new funding source for recuperative care providers, along with capacity-building grants from the state, legitimized recuperative care as a solution to addressing the health and social needs of the unhoused, and opened doors to expand the field of recuperative care in California.
However, it has become abundantly clear that the CalAIM program isn’t intuitive to navigate. I receive inquiries daily from hospitals, assisted living facilities, county and city health departments, homeless service organizations and individual health care providers all asking for the same thing: my recommendations for opening a recuperative care facility as a CalAIM provider. This flurry of technical assistance requests exposed a prevailing need for a formal instructional guide dedicated to the California’s unique recuperative care landscape and funding opportunities.
With support from the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), A Guide to Starting a Recuperative Care Program in California works as a supplement to the Medical Respite Care Program Planning and Development Guide, published by National Institute for Medical Respite Care’s (NIMRC). It is a thoughtfully constructed and detailed roadmap, providing both practical step-by-step instructions and helpful tips for navigating the nuanced complexities of the current recuperative care landscape in the state.
Like all projects produced by the Council’s Medical Respite Team, we hope this guide will elevate the field of recuperative care, enhance the quality of services, and improve the accessibility of this vital service for vulnerable people experiencing homelessness.
Julia Gaines, MA
Senior Medical Respite Manager, California
p.s. Check out the resources below, which I created to support California recuperative care programs.
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The Rising Trend of Specialized Recuperative Care
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The field of recuperative care is experiencing a significant period of growth and transformation. The Rising Trend of Specialized Recuperative Care features four recuperative care providers in California who developed specialized programs for individuals with certain diagnoses and/or for specific populations of focus—and the enhanced client experience because of this customized, person-centered care.
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A Guide to Starting a Recuperative Care Program in California
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A Guide to Starting a Recuperative Care Program in California is a thoughtfully constructed and detailed roadmap, providing both practical step-by-step instructions and tips for navigating the nuanced complexities of the current recuperative care landscape in the state.
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Activities & Opportunities |
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Willie J. Mackey National Medical Respite Award Nominations Open |
The Mackey Award recognizes an individual who has made a profound impact on their community through the delivery or advancement of medical respite care. The award is named in honor of Willie J. Mackey, a dedicated member of the RCPN Steering Committee and a fierce advocate for medical respite care.
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RCPN Steering Committee Nominations Open |
Nominees may be medical respite staff, program administrators, funders, or community partners directly connected with medical respite care in their community. We are especially interested in nominees geographically located in midwestern or southern states, or who have experience in hospitals or health systems, with Medicaid, program funders, and/or those who have lived experience with homelessness.
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Please Complete our Survey |
Complete our survey about supporting people on IV Antibiotics or OPAT treatment within the medical respite setting. The medical respite team is learning more about how programs can support people receiving IV antibiotics or OPAT treatment, along with best practices and challenges in serving this clinical population. We would love to hear from you and your program’s experiences.
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Two New Recuperative Care Learning Networks |
Following the successful Recuperative Care Learning Network model in Los Angeles, the Council welcomed two new learning networks to the California roster last fall: San Diego and Alameda County. Supported generously by the California Health Care Foundation, these regions were selected with the intent to bolster payor/provider relationships, and improve the referral processes and authorizations for recuperative care services. Both Learning Networks host monthly virtual meetings with providers and partners of recuperative care services. If you work in either San Diego or Alameda County and want to participate, please contact Julia Gaines.
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Save Medical Respite Through State-level Medicaid Advocacy! |
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If you are in a Medicaid expansion state, big changes are coming your way fast. H.R.1—the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” signed into law back in July 2025—brings work requirements, more frequent redeterminations, address verifications, and significant revenue constraints for states. These changes will cause many people to lose Medicaid coverage and will push both states and plans to pull back from funding added services like medical respite care/recuperative care. While these changes go into effect on January 1, 2027—compliance with the new rules starts this Fall so states need to have new systems in place as soon as possible. Hence, decisions about the future of Medicaid programs will be made over the next several months in Governor’s Offices and state legislatures nationwide.
Medical respite leaders have a unique role! Advance whatever data you have to show the cost-effectiveness of your program to build support for retaining current financing arrangements. The statewide Medicaid 1115 waivers are at risk, as are individual funding arrangements. We need everyone to be active on Medicaid advocacy right now—and this includes protecting medical respite care programs.
We can’t make this go away, but we CAN make this less bad (yes, that’s the goal). There are options built into the law that states can adopt to reduce coverage losses—but we need advocates like you to be pushing for these options to be adopted.
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These are difficult times to be sure. Our collective action is vital to help retain the improved systems of care we’ve been building over the last 10 years. Let us know how we can help you! Contact bdipietro@nhchc.org.
Barbara DiPietro
Senior Director of Policy
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Respite Kudos + Accomplishments |
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Congratulations, Dr. Bareis! |
Dr. Charles Bareis, MD, has been named president of MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, IL. A dedicated MacNeal physician and leader since 1992, Dr. Bareis will continue as chief medical officer. He has advanced key initiatives including a medical respite program supporting unhoused patients. His dual role reflects his commitment to clinical excellence, community health and mission-driven leadership. Congratulations, Dr. Bareis!
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February RCPN All Member Meeting
Wednesday, Feb. 25
3 p.m. ET/ 12 p.m. PT |
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.
NIMBYism, or "Not in My Back Yard" is a term used to describe the opposition of residents to new developments and building in their community. NIMBYism can impact whether or not medical respite care programs can open or expand in their community, and this opposition may be rooted in stigma towards people experiencing homelessness. This All Member meeting will share the legality of community's opposition to establishing programs, and strategies to address potential opposition from a panel of experts and programs.
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Monday, March 16
2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT |
Medical respite care programs often provide support for people with co-occurring behavioral health needs in addition to the medical conditions that prompted their referral. These clients can especially benefit from the intensive case management, client-centered care and stability that medical respite care programs provide. Medical Respite Care Programs are able to act as a bridge for their clients to connect to long term services for behavioral health and substance use conditions. This Webinar will provide tangible resources for providers who are interested in building their internal and referral practices for behavioral health services.
Attendees will leave the Webinar with practical recommendations and an organizational self assessment for how to improve their behavioral health services and whole person care, and improve their fidelity to the National Standards for Medical Respite Care.
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Medical Respite Role-Specific Meet-ups |
We are excited to continue Medical Respite Role Specific Meet-ups, an opportunity for medical respite program staff to engage and connect with others in similar roles across the country. Many medical respite programs are often the only program in their community, and it can feel challenging to have conversations with others who truly understand your day to day work.
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From Rhode Island to Southern California, the Council’s Medical Respite team and expert guest evaluators hit the road in the Fall of 2025, visiting medical respite programs as part of the NIMRC Certification process. Here are the friends they made along the way!
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Brown University Health and Crossroads Medical Respite Program (Providence, RI) -Julia Dobbins (NHCHC)
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The Victorville Wellness Center (Victorville, CA) -Tarryn Bieloh (NHCHC) and Catherine Hayes from Cardea Health
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| Golden State Recuperative Care (Los Angeles, CA) -Tarryn Bieloh (NIMRC) and Catherine Hayes from Cardea Health
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Good Samaritan Shelter (Santa Maria, CA) -Julia Gaines (NHCHC) and Miriah Nunnaley, RCPN Steering Committee Member
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RCPN Steering Committee In-Person Meeting
The RCPN Steering Committee attended the annual Membership Meeting in Nashville, TN, in October. Over two days, the Steering Committee continued progress on their work plan and activities for the 2025-2026 year. Steering Committee prioritized topics such as outreach and engagement to the medical respite community at-large, program funding, and data/outcomes. They also joined the Clinicians’ Network and the National Consumer Advisory Board (NCAB) for a policy discussion.
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Alameda County Recuperative Care Learning Network In-person Meet up
Alameda county’s new recuperative care learning network had its first in-person gathering in January. Recuperative care providers, health plans, hospitals, and medical professionals who all work within the respite space in Alameda county gathered to connect and build connections to strengthen their community.
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Forum Activity: Attendees at the Alameda County Recuperative Care Forum engage in a group activity to identify which issues to tackle.
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Forum attendees 1 & 2: Providers and partners of recuperative care in Alameda County gather at the first in-person forum to collaborate on how to improve referrals and authorizations in their region.
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Fairmont-Cardea: Catherine “Katie” Hayes, co-founder and Clinical Director of Cardea Health (left) gives Julia Gaines from NHCHC a tour of their Fairmont Tiny Homes Medical Respite in San Leandro, CA.
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Circle the City in Phoenix operates medical respite care in Phoenix. Here is a story of how their services helped a man get back on his feet.
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A new transitional housing center in Santa Cruz County is planned to open in summer 2026, providing 120 units of permanent supportive housing. Housing Matters, the nonprofit organization behind the project, will include a medical respite care facility on site.
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Pacific Village Phase II broke ground over the summer on a new campus in San Bernardino County that will include 32 recuperative care beds and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
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Stockton’s Gospel Center Rescue Mission was unanimously approved for $1.5 million of ARPA interest funds toward the completion of the New Life Program Multi-Purpose Center. The 110-bed facility will include 27 beds dedicated to medical recuperative care.
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Santa Maria’s Good Samaritan Shelter has been operating Hope Village, a temporary housing shelter and medical respite program. Mary De Guzman, the recuperative care program manager, said “we provide them a safe place and medical support services to really get clients to their healing journey.” This year, their program received a Thanksgiving meal from the News Channel 12 Turkey Drive.
- Symba Center, part of the Victorville Wellness Center campus in Victorville, has become a NIMRC certified medical respite program! Read more about their program here.
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Kaiser Permanente recently announced a total of $3.3 million in community health grants awarded to 59 organizations in San Bernardino County to deliver programs and services in the next two years. The awardees include three recuperative care programs; City of San Bernardino Wellness Campus, Operation Grace, and Temple Church.
- Sacramento’s Community Care Center opened a 50 bed recuperative care center in November, with Whole Person Care Clinic running the campus. They plan to expand to 130 beds by March.
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The Family HOPE Project in Wilmington has received a grant aimed at providing housing assistance to families experiencing homelessness in New Castle County. The Hope Center, a former hotel, provides short-term, emergency, and permanent supportive housing, as well as medical respite for people experiencing homelessness in Delaware.
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Eleven states have outlined plans to address post-acute care coordination as part of their participation in the new CMS Rural Health Transformation Program. Hawaii, one of the eleven states, will expand the medical respite model to rural areas through its Rural Respite Network.
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Arrowleaf in Anna, IL has received a $60,000 grant from the Illinois Public Health Institute to plan a medical respite program. This initiative is part of the Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Initiative aimed at reducing repeat hospitalizations and stabilizing individuals experiencing homelessness. The facility will feature six private rooms and shared recovery spaces.
- The Southern Illinois Resource and Advocacy Center (SIRAC) also received a $60,000 medical respite planning grant from the Illinois Public Health Institute. This grant is designed to help create a respite model for unhoused pregnant and postpartum women in southern Illinois.
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BEDS Plus in La Grange has continued to grow and meet the needs of their community since 1988. They are coming up on their two year anniversary of providing 18 medical respite beds serving southern and western Cook county.
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Construction started in September 2024 on the Community Care Campus in Louisville. Led by Volunteers of America Mid-States, the campus will include a medical respite unit and is expected to open in 2027.
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Springfield’s Women’s Medical Respite began in 2015 and has since grown from a medical respite pilot project in a two-person apartment to a single-family house for six, and has housed over 350 women in fragile medical conditions.
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In Las Vegas, the Recuperative Care Center will transition to the Health and Wellness Center while construction gets underway for their brand-new facility. The current building will be demolished this year, with a new two-story facility built by 2027. The new building will have nearly 80 medical respite beds available.
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In February 2025, NYU Langone launched a medical respite program that connects patients to stable housing and social services. NYU Langone’s respite beds are in buildings in upper Manhattan and the Bronx; some are full respite buildings and others share a location with other types of units. 62 percent of people the organization serves at medical respite are connected to successful housing.
- Medical respite care is being offered as an alternative to prolonged hospital stays for New Yorkers without a place to recuperate. The interview with Jody Rudi, CEO and president of the Institute for Community Living can be heard here.
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Wilmington’s Eden’s Village will add 12 additional units to their medical respite program. Parts of the double-occupancy duplexes will be 3D-printed.
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Haywood Street Congregation’s Laura Kirby was interviewed, describing the current need of her community in Asheville and the exciting expansion of medical respite from 12 to 25 beds.
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A new medical respite care facility in Youngstown held a ribbon cutting and blessing ceremony earlier this month. The Respite of Hope facility aims to offer short-term residential care to those who are medically stable but lack safe housing needed to recover.
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Center for Respite Care, a Cincinnati-based medical respite program that has been operating for over 20 years, is expecting to move into a new building by the end of this year. In December, they hosted a charity concert where over 80 local musicians raised funds for the respite program.
- Cleveland’s Joseph and Mary’s Home medical respite, part of a ministry of the nonprofit Sisters of Charity Health System, will move into a one-story renovated former dialysis center. The new building will allow for increased ADA accessibility and individual rooms for respite clients.
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The Salvation Army’s Mabee Center in Fort Worth has three medical respite beds, while seven are at Presbyterian Night Shelter. All ten beds are operated in partnership with JPS Health Network.
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Yakima Neighborhood Health Services, a medical respite program which began in 2010, was recently certified by NIMRC. Congratulations!
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- Bridges of Hope is planning to open a medical respite care facility in Wheeling this year. Two of the twelve beds will be used for providing end of life care.
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A new Essential Hospitals Institute brief details how essential hospitals are supporting the medical and social needs of patients experiencing homelessness and housing instability in their communities. The brief can be viewed here, and highlights several medical respite programs across several states.
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If you have a news story recognizing a medical respite care program, please share it with us by emailing Beau at bantonelis@nhchc.org.
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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!
Additional resources for medical respite can be found at https://nhchc.org/medical-respite/nimrc/
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Grab Our Merch and Support Our Work |
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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!
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Copyright © 2026 National Health Care for the Homeless Council, Inc.
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