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Respite News
A Quarterly Newsletter for Members of the Respite Care Providers' Network
July 31, 2024
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NHCHC Celebrates Four Years of NIMRC
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council is excited to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the National Institute for Medical Respite Care! Launched in July 2020 as a special program of NHCHC, NIMRC is a singular national institute that advances best practices, delivers expert consulting services, and disseminates state-of-field knowledge in medical respite care. In the four years since the program was launched, the medical respite field has grown quickly — a reflection of both the demand for this critical service as well as the effectiveness of the Council's medical respite team and partners in helping get recuperative care programs off the ground across the country.
Congratulations to NIMRC for four years of leadership and collaboration in bringing life-saving medical respite services to so many communities across the nation!
In celebration of four years of NIMRC, we’re offering a 30% discount off registration to the 2024 California Recuperative Care Symposium, Sept. 12-13. Use the code NIMRC4bday when you check out! Valid through Aug. 21, 2024.
NIMRC by the Numbers
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Twenty Years of RCPN Collaboration
Congratulations to the Respite Care Providers’ Network for celebrating 20 years of collaboration! RCPN elects members to a Steering Committee that guides the vision and objectives for the National Institute for Medical Respite Care and supports the development of new and existing medical respite car programs through education, client advocacy, networking, and research. In 2016, RCPN published the Standards for Medical Respite Care Programs. The Standards are a guiding framework to help MRC programs operate safely, effectively, and seamlessly with local health care systems, and to promote program development and growth. The Standards also helped put parameters on what medical respite care is (and isn’t), which has informed policy and program expansion.
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I am Nancy Hanson, one of the founders of Interfaith House/The Boulevard in Chicago, Illinois and one of the founders of the RCPN.
The 20th Anniversary of the Respite Care Providers Network is cause for real celebration and reflection on where we’ve been and where we are going. In the fall of 2000, the first gathering of Medical Respite Care Providers met in Chicago. Medical respite was a new concept and there were only a handful of programs scattered across the country. HRSA had just announced a grant to 10 programs to either expand their capacity or to start a new program.
There were many models for caring for ill and injured people experiencing homelessness who were too frail to be healing on the street and not sick enough to be in the hospital. We were all pioneers in creating our individual programs to meet the needs of our communities, but we had no contact with each other. We were operating in a vacuum.
Jim O’Connell from the Barbara McInnis House in Boston, Art Bendixen, the Program Director of Interfaith House and I, one of the Founders of Interfaith House in Chicago, met at a Health Care for the Homeless Conference in 1999 and began to compare notes. We realized that although our programs were operating very different models, we had many similar challenges. As we talked, we thought that if the existing medical respite programs could come together and exchange information on operations, policy, fundraising and other common challenges, that we could learn from each other and strengthen our programs.
Art and I offered to host a two-day meeting in Chicago in September 2000. Fourteen programs, including the new HRSA grantees, John Lozier and some of his staff from The National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC) and Jean Hochron and some of her staff from HRSA attended that meeting. We got to know each other, talked about our common struggles, began to try to define medical respite and proposed a set of Medical Respite Characteristics to describe what we were doing. At the end of our time together there was a strong consensus that the meeting was a success and that we should plan a gathering for the following year. The staff at Barbara McInnis House invited us to Boston, and that was the beginning of what would become the Respite Care Providers’ Network.
Eighteen programs came to Boston where we affirmed the characteristics of respite care and further refined our understanding of the role of medical respite in the continuum of care for homeless services.
The following year Ft. Lauderdale hosted, and the theme was Respite Care: We Can’t Live Without It. Twenty programs attended and participants began to think about how to create a formal organization. A task force was formed and charged with making a recommendation for creating the Respite Care Providers Network. The suggestion was made to approach John Lozier about affiliating with the NHCHC. A Steering Committee of volunteers was also formed to help plan the next meeting in Seattle. Membership on the Steering Committee was open to all respite care providers and the volunteers connected via e mail and telephone. The Boston staff created and maintained a database of all of the medical respite programs that we could discover, and we reached out to ask them to join us for the Seattle meeting. Boston also created and kept a current directory of medical respite programs.
In Seattle we continued our conversation with John Lozier about Council affiliation and work began on the details of the organizational structure. In June 2004, a meeting of the RCPN convened following the NHCHC Conference in New Orleans to report on progress towards establishing a formal group. John met with us to discuss structure and membership. Respite care programs contributed $10,000 to fund the first year of a part time Council Staff member to work with RCPN to prepare a membership proposal to be submitted to the Board of the NHCHC.
In November 2004, Sarah Ciambrone from Boston’s Barbara McInnis House presented the RCPN membership proposal to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council at their retreat. The proposal was accepted and was presented to the RCPN at their annual conference in Indianapolis in December 2004. It was unanimously approved by the 20 programs present and the RCPN officially joined the National Health Care for the Homeless Council as a standing committee.
Fast forward 20 years and medical respite has grown to almost 200 programs across the country, become a top NHCHC priority, the National Institute for Medical Respite Care (NIMRC) has been established and a national certification of medical respite programs by NIMRC is in progress. Although sustainable funding for medical respite care is still a challenge, it is impossible to think about a continuum of care without medical respite as an essential component.
Happy Anniversary RCPN, and thanks to the Council for making the RCPN a member of the family!
Nancy Hanson
Interfaith House/The Boulevard founding board member
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| NIMRC Resource Highlights
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Coming Soon — Certification for Medical Respite Programs
A few months ago, we announced that we'll be launching a voluntary certification process for medical respite care (MRC) programs in 2025! This certification represents an important step forward in the evolution of our field and will serve to elevate the incredible work being done by MRC programs across the nation.
In 2023, we field tested the first iteration of the certification with five MRC programs, all of whom successfully completed the process. In June 2024, we began our second phase of testing: a certification pilot with 10 MRC programs. This pilot will lay the groundwork for our rollout of a fully operational certification program in early 2025.
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RCPN Updates
The Respite Care Providers’ Network (RCPN) Steering Committee had its first convening to begin the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The Steering Committee welcomed Laurie Nelson, of the Center for Respite Care, as the new Chair. They also welcomed Britt LaShier (Preble Street), Richard Ducatenzeiler (The Boulevard), and Sharon Dipasupil (Circle the City) as new members. The Steering Committee will focus its efforts on activities outlined in its work plan and will continue to serve as a resource to the entire Respite Care Providers’ Network and NIMRC. Click here to learn more about the RCPN Steering Committee.
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The medical respite team remains open to the needs and ideas of medical respite programs! If you have questions or ideas for new resources, please contact us!
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| | 2024 Conference Highlights
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2024 William J. Mackey National Medical Respite Award
Congratulations to Annette Rodriguez (pictured above on right) of Yakima Neighborhood Health Services in Washington for receiving the 2024 Mackey Award at this year's conference! Rodriguez is Chief Housing and Homeless Services Officer, overseeing the Health Care for the Homeless Program, Supportive Housing of nearly 200 units, medical respite care, and various assistance programs. During her 30-plus years at YNHS, Annette has been recognized as a leader and mentor for both new and tenured service providers. She is particularly effective in her ability to make the connections between client engagement, housing, and health care.
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Above and below: The NIMRC Networking Reception, sponsored by CommonSpirit.
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Brooks Ann McKinney and Laurel Nelson present at the medical respite Pre-Conference Institute.
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| | Activities and Opportunities
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| Have You Renewed Your Council Membership?
It's membership renewal season at the National Health Care for the Homeless Council! Membership renewal emails have gone out to the primary contacts for each of our organizational members.
Our member-only include discounted conference registration, free postings to our HCH job board, the ability to sit on NHCHC committees and networks, and much more! As a reminder, these benefits are extended to all staff of the organizational member.
If you have questions about your renewal or did not receive a renewal email, please reach out to our Membership Team. Thank you for continuing to be part of our community. You help make what we do possible!
Save the Date — RCPN All-Member Meeting
Join us on Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. CDT for our next RCPN All-Member Meeting. 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 focus on the use of language, and how language can serve as an advocacy tool or perpetuate bias and stigma within our work. We'll learn how language can create an inclusive space within medical respite programs, and strategies to integrate language into interactions with clients, documentation, and community partners. Register here.
Join NIMRC for the Inaugural California Recuperative Care Symposium
The RCPN is proud to present the Trailblazer in California Recuperative Care Award at the Symposium. RCPN members will honor one remarkable leader in recuperative care who has contributed to the growth and advancement of recuperative care practices in their community and the state. Please join us in celebrating this trailblazer and all California recuperative care providers and partners at this monumental event!
The Inaugural 2024 California Recuperative Care Symposium, hosted by NIMRC and Kaiser Permanente, is offering a special discount for California Recuperative Care providers! Visit the Symposium’s webpage to register.
September Role-Specific Meetups
We are excited for a new RCPN 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. This virtual gathering series will provide an opportunity for attendees to meet with others doing similar work across the country, facilitate connection, and discuss issues and strategies for providing services in medical respite programs. These are interactive conversations, and attendees should come prepared to introduce themselves and engage with others.
- Sept. 23: Program Directors
This meet-up is intended for those who are program directors or in other program leadership roles within a medical respite/recuperative care program - Sept. 24: Case Managers and Care Coordinators
All types of staff working in a case management position are welcome to attend. This may include case managers, care coordinators, CHWs, peer support staff, RNs, etc. - Sept. 25: Medical / Clinical Staff
All types of staff working in a clinical or medical role are welcome to attend. This may include nursing staff, prescribing providers, behavioral health therapists, etc.
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Medical Respite Team at the 2024 NHCHC Conference.
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Medical respite team member Julia Gaines with Pam Mokler and Father Joe’s Village staff.
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The awareness of medical respite care and medical respite programs across communities has grown! Many of our respite programs have been featured in the news, in addition to articles that identify medical respite care as a key intervention for people experiencing homelessness.
Arizona
- Kim Despres of Circle the City, an organization that operates two medical respite centers in Phoenix, was honored with Phoenix Business Journal’s Most Admired Leaders of 2024 award. Congratulations, Kim!
- Casa de Respiro has opened Tucson’s first medical respite facility with 50 beds, four of which are set aside for hospice care.
Arkansas
- In Jonesboro, St. Bernard’s held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of its four-bed recuperative care program.
California
- The first phase of Project Hope is under way in partnership with Adventist Health/Rideout in Yuba City. The two-phase initiative is set to create a behavioral health campus designed to provide a range of services addressing both clinical and non-clinical needs, including medical recuperative care, short-term post-hospitalization housing, and substance use treatments.
- In Alameda County, Oak Days is a former motel that has been converted into a medical respite facility for unhoused people. To pay for on-site health and personal care services, like administering medications or helping residents with toileting or feeding, Cardea Health has accessed the Home and Community-Based Alternatives waiver.
- The Renewal Center in Chico, recently opened a new wing to house seniors experiencing homelessness. They are also doubling their capacity for recuperative care beds, in partnership with Ampla Health, Enloe Medical Center, the Department of Employment and Social Services, and Butte County Behavioral Health.
- The Wellness Center opened in December 2023 in Victorville as a 4.5-acre campus including shelter, housing, and recuperative care. The city of Victorville has contracted with the Symba Center to provide medical care, behavioral health, and support services on campus.
- Martha’s Village and Kitchen received a grant from the Todd Barajas Legacy Fund through the Inland Empire Community Foundation. Portions of the grant will be used for a new vehicle at the organization's Indio office. "The vehicles are very important for different purposes, whether we do outreach in the community or through our Homeless Recuperative Care Program," Hollenbeck says Sam Hollenbeck, president and CEO.
- The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the $143 million development of a mental health treatment facility at Los Angeles General Medical Center — the final phase of a project to create a Restorative Care Village at the Boyle Heights campus. The plans include a recuperative care center with 96 medical respite beds.
- The Ventura County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $3.04 billion balanced budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 to support the projects they implement, including Recuperative Care Center in Ventura.
Georgia
- Depaul USA and the Macon Housing Authority hosted a blessing to mark the opening of an affordable housing complex that features a medical respite that will serve as a recovery place for people experiencing homelessness who are exiting local hospitals.
Hawaii
- HOPE Services Hawaii received a $75,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente to expand behavioral health care for people experiencing homelessness on Hawaii Island Funds will be used in a variety of ways, including to support facility improvements at new medical respite bed sites.
- The Le’ahi Behavioral and Medical Respite Facility recently opened in Honolulu. The city’s goal is to assist patients with medical care, insurance, documentation and housing within about a month or two. Once out, they are directed to case managers for further assistance.
Kentucky
- In Louisville, Volunteers of America Mid-States has shared its newly finalized plans with the public for the $40 million Community Care Campus. The project includes four main types of housing, including medical respite for people leaving the hospital. The city and VOA plan to open one building on the Campus by the end of this year.
Maine
- The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention released its updated draft Statewide Health Improvement Plan in June to guide state and local agencies to enhance the health of Mainers. The plan outlines four priority areas including mental health, substance use, access to care and “healthy and stable housing.” Britt La Shier, director of the Recuperative Care Program with Portland-based Preble Street, said, “More access to housing opportunities paired with health care services — including medical respite, substance use treatment, or mental health care — will help people experiencing homelessness find stability and an extended life, as well as a happier and healthier quality of life.”
Massachusetts
- Dr. Jim O’Connell, the president of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP), has been working with the organization for nearly 40 years, since its start as a pilot program in 1985. BHCHP operates more than 30 clinic sites in shelters and hospitals, in addition to providing care on the street and in its respite program. This piece has been excerpted from conversations with Dr. O’Connell.
- In Massachusetts, the Interagency Council in Housing and Homelessness is creating projects to address the acknowledged lack of hospital capacity as well as the chronic health issues suffered by people who are unhoused. The service would be available to all MassHealth clients 18 and older and includes those in managed care and who participate in fee-for-service plans. They hope to launch this respite project in January of 2025.
- UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, has partnered with the nonprofit South Middlesex Opportunity Council to open in February a seven-bed pilot respite program for those experiencing homelessness. Awarded $820,000 through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Worcester respite program is one of five pilot programs receiving a total of $5.2 million in 2023.
Michigan
- In Detroit, a $1.1 million grant was awarded to Neighborhood Service Organization’s medical respite program which opened last year. This funding will increase access to health and recuperative care for individuals experiencing homelessness.
- Also in Detroit, the Pope Francis Center Bridge Housing Campus opened in June and will provide 40 studio residential rooms and will include a medical respite center.
Ohio
- Joseph and Mary’s Home in Cincinnati is in the process of relocating the men’s respite facility, which will allow for care to be undisturbed as renovations are underway. These renovations will include modernized building accommodations, such as handicapped accessible entryways, showers and bathrooms. The anticipated completion of the renovation and relocation is in summer 2025 and will coincide with the organization’s 25th anniversary.
Oregon
- In Medford, Rogue Retreat held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in June to celebrate opening the Redwood Inn. They will operate 21 units of studio apartments and 24 medical respite units.
Pennsylvania
- In Allentown, Ripple Community Inc plans to use $1 million of ARPA funding to convert a church into a dozen affordable apartments. The new facility will also include the nonprofit’s offices as well as three medical respite rooms.
Tennessee
- Unity Housing of Johnson City has submitted a proposal to establish medical respite housing at Washington County’s Greenfield Farm. Their goal is to “return this farm to its mission to assist those with health and economic constraints to find a temporary home with services that enable its residents to recuperate and find permanent housing.”
Utah
- The KFC Foundation has awarded $250,000 in grants to 25 community-based non-profit organizations focused on education and training. The INN Between in Salt Lake City, which provides medical respite and end-of-life care to those experiencing homelessness, is a recent recipient. These funds will allow the organization to develop a life skills training program for clients to allow them to transition to independent living and continue on a path toward autonomy. Here is an interview with executive director Jillian Olmsted as well.
- Photographer Laura Seitz was honored with an award for her photographs of the INN Between in Salt Lake City, a medical respite and end-of-life care facility for people experiencing homelessness.
Wisconsin
- Solace Home in Madison recently opened its four-bed facility and is providing respite and hospice care to people experiencing homelessness. Solace Home staff will help with non-nursing level tasks, like feeding, bathing and basic wound care, said the home’s Executive Director Kendra Deja. Additionally, Solace Home is partnering with four hospice agencies who are providing additional care including pain management and bereavement services.
Other
- In December 2020, nonprofits Community Solutions and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement launched the Healthcare and Homelessness Pilot, a three-year project with financial support from Kaiser Permanente, Providence Health, and Common Spirit. The pilot aimed to identify effective models for cross-sector collaboration between health and homeless response systems. Medical respite care was identified as a key component.
If you have a news story recognizing a medical respite/recuperative care program, please share it with us by emailing Beau at bantonelis@nhchc.org.
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- This updated guide offers an introduction to health care billing under CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) for current and prospective Community Supports providers, including recuperative care providers. It is especially designed to help housing and homeless services organizations learn the billing processes required under Medi-Cal managed care in California.
- CenCal Health, the locally governed Medi-Cal health plan for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, will be adding four additional Community Supports for its health plan members; day habilitation, short-term post hospitalization housing, respite services to caregivers, and personal care and homemaker services. As of July, CenCal will be providing all 14 community supports available in California.
- Vermont’s Agency of Human Services submitted a request to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to grant flexibility in utilizing Medicaid dollars. The proposed amendment includes providing new medical respite benefits for up to six months.
- The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services has applied for a health-related social needs-focused 1115 demonstration waiver. HFS is working closely with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to pin down the details of the waiver, which could include the coverage of benefits such as medical respite.
- United Healthcare wrote a blog post on the benefits of medical respite care, including a link to a webinar hosted by NIMRC and United Healthcare, “Navigating the Growing Role of Managed Care in Medical Respite Care”.
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| | Respite Care Providers' Network Information
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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 link for more information and to join the RCPN.
- Is your medical respite program profile in the NIMRC directory up to date? Complete this program profile form to update your information and view the directory here.
- 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/recuperative care can be found at www.NIMRC.org.
Connect with the National Health Care for the Homeless Council on social media
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