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The Latest COVID-19 News, Delivered to You!
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Welcome to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council’s COVID-19 Flash Blast. This brief synopsis of key issues specific to the HCH community, policy developments, resources, and reading lists on the topic of COVID-19 will be delivered every two weeks. You are receiving this email because you subscribe to HCH communications. If you do not wish to receive this bi-weekly alert, you may unsubscribe below. (Note: These e-blasts will be archived here.)
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Gratitude
As we near the end of the year and reflect back during this holiday season, we want to express our gratitude for all those who have contributed to our COVID-19 work. A special thanks to the members of our HCH-CDC biweekly Thursday Vaccine Focus Group (aka “The Brain Trust” -- seen below) whose brilliance, thoughtfulness, compassion, innovation, and commitment have transformed their communities and made Flash Blast what it is.
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And thank you, too, to the entire HCH community, which has worked tirelessly to provide quality care through this pandemic. We hear repeatedly how the HCH core principles of care are the standard of care and inform how to move through this pandemic. Care that is patient-centered, trauma-informed, focuses on building relationships to earn trust, and employs harm reduction principles is practiced by our community daily and we hold it up as the model of care for the entire nation.
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Planning for Another COVID Winter
December is upon us, and as communities discuss and implement their winter plans, HUD released a number of valuable documents to help communities plan for another winter of COVID. Public health measures continue to be critical interventions to minimize the spread of COVID in shelters, especially as a study recently showed that people living in congregate shelters are more than two times more likely to be reinfected with COVID. Ongoing protection measures should include:
- Encouraging vaccination and making it available.
- Enforcing physical distancing.
- Enforcing mask-wearing.
- Implementing enhanced cleaning and disinfection measures.
The announcement that FEMA is extending their 100% reimbursement of COVID-19 emergency response costs presents the opportunity for communities to continue or reinstate non-congregate shelter options and isolation and quarantine spaces. Other considerations for space, programmatic implementation, and disease spread are also reimbursable through April 1, 2022.
The past two weeks have brought news of two grim markers: 100,000 overdose-related deaths in the one-year period from May 2020-April 2021, and deaths related to COVID-19 in 2021 surpassing those of 2020. Unlike last year, we have widely available vaccines, which remain the best path out of the pandemic. However, the ongoing isolation and barriers to accessing drug treatment make overdoses an ongoing risk, especially for those experiencing homelessness. As cases begin to surge again and hospitals across the country once again near capacity limits, we are faced with the reality that there may be thousands of additional deaths.
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There will be many policy changes related to COVID-19 in the next several months as the Biden-Harris Administration moves forward with its agenda. Below are the most recent developments:
- Vaccine Mandate for Health Care Workers Temporarily Blocked: On Monday, a federal judge in Missouri blocked the Biden Administration from enforcing the vaccine mandate for health care workers in 10 states. By Tuesday afternoon, a second federal judge in Louisiana temporarily blocked the mandate for health care workers nationwide. The Administration has already asked a higher court to reinstate the mandate and it is likely they will pursue an appeal all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.
- Boosters for All: The FDA approved and the CDC endorsed booster doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for anyone 18 or older. This removes the confusion created by the initial decision to limit eligibility for booster doses. The doses should be administered six months after the second dose. Now all recipients of any COVID-19 vaccine who are 18 or older should get a booster.
- Financial Investment in Health Care Work Force: The Biden Administration announced a $1.5 billion allocation from the coronavirus aid package to support the National Health Service Corps, Nurse Corps, and Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery programs, which are federal programs that offer scholarship and loan repayment for health care students and workers who pledge to work in underserved and high-risk communities.
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Federal guidance, local tools, and new research are being published every day. Below are the newest items we've selected that will be helpful to the HCH community.
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Federal guidance, local tools, and new research are being published every day. Below are the newest items we've selected that will be helpful to the HCH community.
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Publications from the HCH Community:
Other Media:
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Have a resource or issue you want to add to a future COVID-19 Flash Blast? Let us know! Email Katie League.
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Katie League, LCSW-C
COVID-19 Project Manager
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
kleague@nhchc.org
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National Health Care for the Homeless Council
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National Institute for Medical Respite Care
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| Grounded in human rights and social justice, the National Health Care for the Homeless Council's mission is to build an equitable, high-quality health care system through training, research, and advocacy in the movement to end homelessness.
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