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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 NHCHC communications. If you do not wish to receive this bi-weekly alert, you may unsubscribe below. (Note: These e-blasts will be archived here for your reference.)
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"We gave out 'I got vaccinated' stickers to the clients at our residential program and a large majority put the stickers on their door. They were advertising to their floormates that they had been vaccinated." – Martha Trevey, DNP, APRN, Hennepin, MN
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CURRENT/EMERGING ISSUES & STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
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With new developments every day in the nation's effort to control the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a number of emerging issues for HCHs that we are following:
Current/Emerging Issues
- Continuing unpredictable vaccine supply to health centers makes planning events more difficult.
- Ongoing difficulty for homeless and/or rural populations to navigate online registration and notification systems.
- Ongoing need to advocate with state and local leaders to loosen restrictions on vaccine eligibility so more people who are homeless can qualify to be vaccinated (to include those in non-congregate settings, like permanent supportive housing).
- Ongoing staff capacity challenges of adding vaccine activities on top of conducting COVID-19 testing and continuing to delivery regular health care services.
- Administering Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine reduces the logistics and administrative burden of the need to deliver the second dose and is easier to transport to outreach sites such as encampments.
- Using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may be easier in smaller settings because the vials contain only 5-6 doses (rather than the 10-11 dose vials that come with the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines), but must be used within two hours of opening, which can be a challenge.
- Conflicting messages from the faith community on the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has compromised some vaccine events, especially in areas where faith leaders are the trusted source of information.
- Ongoing administrative challenges in completing vaccine-related paperwork and tracking vaccines by “first dose” or “second dose,” especially when no-show rates may be high in some areas.
Strategies for Success
- Offer vaccine information sessions in a variety of formats: focus groups, one-on-one and during vaccine events. Message delivery from someone who has had similar experiences or has knowledge of the consumer’s person experience can build vaccine confidence.
- Amend language that may cause hesitancy: Use “large vaccination event” rather than “mass vaccine event” and “the Janssen shot” rather than “Johnson and Johnson” to refer to newest vaccine.
- Collaborate with community members to pay for staff’s time at vaccine events and use the Form 5c waiver which allows health centers to document vaccinations in the state’s centralized database, rather than do double entry in the EHR.
- Focus on chronic health conditions to establish eligibility for the vaccine in areas where restrictions still limit broad access for people experiencing homelessness (many are eligible under this criteria).
- Engage volunteers to help with vaccination events, which can augment limited staff capacity. Volunteers can be secured through local professional schools, health insurers, or other community partners.
- Utilize volunteer clinicians to administer the vaccination and monitor post-vaccination waiting area while permanent staff perform the more time-intensive administrative duties to assure data entry quality and accuracy.
- When multiple vaccines types are available, offer each one on a different day to allow for client choice without creating extra burden on staff. When going on outreach, bring one type into the field and offer to schedule appointments at the clinic if the other type is desired.
- Take time to experience moments of joy and hope within the day, especially during vaccine events. Address burnout and exhaustion among staff.
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There will be many policy changes related to C19 in the next several months as the Biden-Harris Administration moves forward with its agenda. Below are the most recent developments:
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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:
(Have something you've published related to COVID-19? Let us know!)
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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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