U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy meets with a medical respite patient at the Boston HCH Program during his “Turn the Tide Rx” tour. (Photo courtesy of BHCHP)
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U.S. Surgeon General Visits the Boston HCH Program
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Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General, is on a nationwide tour speaking with health care providers about opioid abuse and how the health care community can address this crisis. As part of the “Turn the Tide Rx” tour, Dr. Murthy visited the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP). The opioid crisis has deeply impacted Boston’s homeless population--a 2013 BHCHP study found that drug overdose has replaced HIV as the number one cause of death for Bostonians experiencing homelessness. In the face of these challenges, BHCHP continues to expand their services. In May 2016, BHCHP celebrated the opening of the Stacy Kirkpatrick House, a 20-bed medical respite facility named in memory of a beloved nurse practitioner and staff member who recently passed away. The program adds to their well-established 104-bed medical respite program, the Barbara McInnis House. Dr. Murthy spent time with a number of patients during his visit, including private meetings to listen to patients' stories of living with substance use disorder. Dr. Murthy commended BHCHP’s progressive integrated care model, saying similar programs were needed across the country. Read more about Dr. Murthy’s visit to Boston.
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Attendees of the full-day Pre-Conference Institute Medical Respite Care: Positioning Your Program for Success. (Photo: National HCH Council)
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2016 Pre-Conference Institute Roundup
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Over 80 professionals from across the country attended the Pre-Conference Institute Medical Respite Care: Positioning Your Program for Success at the 2016 National HCH Conference and Policy Symposium. The event highlighted such topics as relationship development with funders, effective models of care coordination and care transition, and responses to addiction and overdose. Additionally, participants had the opportunity to engage in information sharing, networking, and discussing how we as a community understand and promote medical respite care. View session materials.
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New Policy Brief Examines Hospital Community Benefit Requirements
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A new Council brief explores "Hospital Community Funds: Resources for the HCH Community." To qualify for tax exemptions as charitable organizations, not-for-profit hospitals are required to engage in activities that aid their communities. This new resource details such activities, including examples of medical respite programs supported by hospital community benefit funds. A recent Council webinar further examined this funding opportunity. Read the policy brief and view the recorded webinar.
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2016 Medical Respite Program Directory Now Available!
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The National HCH Council has released its 2016 Medical Respite Program Directory, which includes profiles for 78 American medical respite programs. This year’s directory features five new programs in two newly represented states (Hawaii and Montana). New this year, the Directory features membership badges recognizing programs that are Organizational Members of the National HCH Council. The Council represents the collective voice of its Organizational Members, which include HCH grantees, medical respite programs, and other entities engaged in efforts to address the health needs of people experiencing homelessness. If your organization is not yet a member, please contact Michael Durham to inquire about the benefits of joining. View the updated Medical Respite Program Directory.
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| Mother Jones Sheds Light on Homelessness in San Francisco and the Need for Medical Respite
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Mother Jones recently published an article highlighting the state of homelessness in San Francisco, the impact of homelessness on health, and the importance of medical respite care. The report is part of the SF Homeless Project, a collaborative campaign of more than 70 media outlets which have united to draw attention to homelessness and ways to address the epidemic. In the article, Dr. Michelle Schneidermann, Medical Director of San Francisco’s Medical Respite Program and winner of the Council’s 2016 Medical Respite Award for Excellence, describes the value of medical respite care. Read the full article in Mother Jones.
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Medical Coordinator Bonita Tauch works with a client to get a PCP follow-up appointment while Medical Site Assistant Louie Gonzalez checks on a client's vitals. (Photo courtesy of the Illumination Foundation)
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Illumination Foundation Expands Motel Model
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Continuing to expand their services, the Illumination Foundation received recognition in June for their transformation of the Coral Motel in Buena Park, California. The Coral Motel was in disrepair and on the verge of being taken back by the city. Paul Leon, CEO of the Illumination Foundation, proposed converting the rooms into safe, clean spaces for people experiencing homelessness to recover post-hospital discharge. While building a standalone medical respite program can be quite expensive, converting a motel into a medical respite program is less complex. Motels are already built for residential purposes and can more easily be repurposed for medical respite care. Additionally, this motel-based medical respite program costs about $2,000 less per day than keeping a patient hospitalized. Read more about the Illumination Foundation’s conversion of the Coral Motel.
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| Medical Respite Pilot Program Opens in Columbus, OH
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A 6-bed medical respite program began operations this spring in Columbus, OH. Housed in the Van Buren shelter, the six-month pilot program is staffed by PrimaryOne’s Health Care for the Homeless program. A collaboration between PrimaryOne Health, the YMCA, and the Community Shelter Board, this is the first medical respite program to operate in Columbus. While the program is still in the pilot phase, staff are hopeful that it will become permanent and are already considering ways for the program to add more beds. Learn more about PrimaryOne Health’s Medical Respite Program.
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