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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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Interim Lessons Learned from the HCH Field
Although the pandemic rages on, our most recent issue brief, COVID-19 & the HCH Community: Interim Lessons Learned from the Pandemic, summarizes the amazing work being done by the HCH community across the country. Moving forward, the challenge remains to permanently implement the positive systemic improvements made possible through COVID-19 policy changes and funding increases.
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Biden Administration Announcements on Vaccine Mandates
On September 9, the Biden Administration announced new vaccine mandates for health care facilities (to include health centers) and employers with 100+ employees. See our Council FAQ on this topic and check for regular updates as more information is forthcoming.
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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
- Scrambling to obtain timely rapid COVID-19 tests as the demand outpaces the supply.
- Growing inability to identify sufficient staff to meet testing demand as more individuals need “clearance testing” (negative test to return to work, school, program, etc.) while most clinics decommissioned these efforts over the summer in lieu of vaccination efforts.
- Decrease in vigilance of symptom screening at some shelters has resulted in COVID outbreaks.
- Anticipating the impact of the new vaccine mandate has administrators scrambling for information and concerned about staff morale.
- Changing vaccine mandates has required numerous policy revisions, which can create confusion and frustration.
- Closing isolation and quarantine facilities is contrary to the growing need in many communities as Delta continues to spread in communities.
- Growing need for resources to serve children as more test positive and caretakers also become ill, sometimes severely, with COVID.
- Increasing numbers of requests for religious and medical exemptions to vaccine mandates is challenging for human resources staff.
- Confronting the challenges of clients with acute health needs being turned away from emergency departments because they are at capacity.
- Rationing of monoclonal antibodies has halted some programs’ efforts to offer treatments.
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Strategies for Success
- Offer separate testing locations for symptomatic and asymptomatic clients to decrease the risk of spread within your facility.
- Continue symptom screening upon entry into facilities to decrease chance of spread of illness by clients who don’t realize they have symptoms.
- Train shelter staff to administer rapid tests to clients in order to boost timely access to test results.
- Partner with public health entities to provide “clearance testing” so health centers can focus on testing individuals who are symptomatic.
- Collaborate with other health care systems to identify appropriate venues to offer monoclonal antibody treatment.
- Even with mandates, celebrate staff reaching vaccination goals by offering rewards such as food trucks or other fun activities.
- Reach out to shelters, especially those within programs having 100+ employees, to offer staff vaccinations in light of new vaccine mandates.
- Advocate with your local health authority to identify appropriate isolation capacity for PEH, which would eliminate much of the need for surveillance testing because risk of spread would be minimized.
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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 mandates: See the text box above for information on the Biden Administration's new vaccine mandates!
- Funding opportunity: HRSA is making new funding available for health centers that are impacted by the pandemic. The funding includes relief for providers who can document revenue lost as a result of the pandemic and specific funds for providers who serve rural Medicaid, CHIP, or Medicare Patients.
- Booster shots: A panel of vaccine advisors to the FDA met on September 17 to discuss the data on the value of a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The committee’s recommendation is that only those 65+ or people who are at high risk of severe disease should receive the third dose.
- Expanded age eligibility: Pfizer announced that their vaccine produces a robust immune response in individuals 5-11 years of age and will submit this data to seek authorization from the FDA.
- Testing funds for PEH: The CDC has announced the guidelines for the $80 million to expand testing and care access for people experiencing homelessness and other congregate settings.
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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.
- CDC MMWR: Long-Term Symptoms Among Adults Tested for SARS-CoV-2 – United States, January 2020-April 2021
- CDC MMWR: Hospitalizations Associated with COVID-19 Among Children and Adolescents – COVID-NET, 14 States, March 1, 2020-August 14, 2021
- CDC MMWR: Monitoring Incidence of COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, and Deaths, by Vaccination Status – 13 U.S. Jurisdictions, April 4-July 17, 2021
- CDC MMWR: Disaggregating Data to Measure Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Outcomes and Guide Community Response -- Hawaii, March 1, 2020–February 28, 2021
- CDC MMWR: Interim Estimates of COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Against COVID-19–Associated Emergency Department or Urgent Care Clinic Encounters and Hospitalizations Among Adults During SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant Predominance -- Nine States, June–August 2021
- CDC MMWR: Effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19–Associated Hospitalization -- Five Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, United States, February 1–August 6, 2021
- CDC MMWR: Correction and Republication: New COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Among Adults, by Vaccination Status -- New York, May 3–July 25, 2021
- CDC MMWR: Comparative Effectiveness of Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) Vaccines in Preventing COVID-19 Hospitalizations Among Adults Without Immunocompromising Conditions -- United States, March–August 2021
- Center for Health Care Strategies: Incorporating Racial Equity Into Trauma-Informed Care
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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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