2017 National HCH Conference Call for Proposals Open Until October 28

Proposals for the 2017 National HCH Conference are due by 11:59 p.m. PT on October 28! HCH2017 will unite hundreds of providers, administrators, consumers, and advocates from across the HCH field on June 21-24 in Washington, D.C., to explore critical topics in health care and homelessness. Don't forget to submit a proposal to become a part of the Conference agenda! HCH2017 will focus on the theme of “Working Together for Access,” and we are seeking proposals that address various aspects of that "access"—to clinical services, the democratic process, and beyond. Learn more about Conference tracks, the review process, and session formats on our Call for Proposals webpage, or watch a tutorial video to learn more about submitting a proposal.

New 2015-16 Annual Report Showcases Major Achievements

The National HCH Council is pleased to announce the release of our Fiscal Year 2016 Annual Report, which highlights our major accomplishments and program foci from July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016. These achievements include the 2016 National HCH Conference in Portland, OR—the most popular Conference in our history—as well as a record-breaking increase in organizational membership and major strides in technical assistance. Additionally, the FY16 Annual Report describes focus areas including medical-legal partnerships, Medicaid managed care, LGBTQ homelessness, and medical respite care, among others. Read the report.

New Healing Hands Explores Substance Use in Youth Without Homes

The Council’s latest Healing Hands examines Substance Use Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness. Polysubstance use is common among such youth—one of the largest sub-groups of the American homeless population. This new issue explores the connections between substance use, trauma, mental health, and homelessness in the lives of young people, offering clinical perspectives and approaches to treatment and engagement. Designed by and for American homeless health care professionals, this publication is designed to help learners understand and apply information about effective delivery of homeless health care. CME credits are available for reading the issue and successfully completing the post-test.

New Publication Profiles a Collaborative Frequent User Initiative in Orlando, FL

The Corporation for Supportive Housing, in partnership with the National HCH Council, has released its fourth profile in a series showcasing collaborative frequent user initiatives. “Housing the First 100: Orlando, FL” details how the Orlando community developed innovative, cross-system partnerships to connect the community’s most vulnerable individuals to housing and health care. View this publication or other resources on our Permanent Supportive Housing page.

New Publication and Webinar: Ask & Code: Documenting Homelessness Throughout the Health Care System

The Council has released a policy brief exploring how use of the ICD-10-CM code for homelessness (Z59.0) can help provide the data necessary to document homelessness and inform clinical and financial decisions. Better data is needed to identify patients without homes and justify funding additional services to improve their health. To help address that gap, this brief provides a rationale for using the Z59.0 code and explores strategies for ensuring that providers ask about homelessness and record patients’ housing status. An upcoming webinar at 3-4 p.m. EDT on October 25 will explore this topic further, offering practical approaches and insights from how an HCH grantee in Colorado implemented the Z59.0 code, preliminary results from a pilot project in Texas using the code to identify homelessness among Medicaid beneficiaries, and more. Register now.

New Webinar to Explore Relationship Between Trauma and Addiction

Please join us at 3-4:30 p.m. ET on October 26 for the third webinar in our 4-part series on trauma-informed care (TIC) with the Coldspring Center for Social and Health Innovation. Featuring Coldspring Chief Innovation Officer Matt Bennett, “The Abyss: Addiction, Homelessness, and Trauma” will examine the science of addiction and its relationship with trauma. Individuals with unresolved trauma are at a high risk of addiction, which all too often can lead to homelessness and poverty. To help address that issue, this webinar will provide attendees with an understanding of the addiction cycle and the importance of integrating medical care with mental health and substance abuse services. Register now, and save the date for the final webinar in our TIC series on November 2.

Council Welcomes New National Health Policy Organizer

The Council is pleased to welcome our new National Health Policy Organizer, Regina Reed, MPH. Regina will be working with our Policy Committee to advance our advocacy agenda and mobilize NHCHC member organizations, advocates, service providers, and people without homes for the amelioration of poverty and homelessness. Regina is a recent graduate of the MPH program at Emory University and holds a BS in Psychology from the University of Florida. She joins us with prior experience as a disparity researcher, health insurance enrollment organizer, and social justice advocate. Skilled in policy analysis, Regina brings a strong background in Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to the position. She succeeds Matt Warfield, whom the Council thanks for his excellent service to help advance human rights to health care and housing.

Support the Council Through An East Nashville Christmas

This holiday season, you can contribute to the National HCH Council while enjoying music and artwork from An East Nashville Christmas. Headquartered in Music City, the Council is pleased to have partnered with local artists to produce this unique album, a compilation of 18 holiday originals and classics performed exclusively by East Nashvillians. You can purchase the album for $10 with free shipping or in digital form for $9 online or through iTunes, or buy one of the album’s corresponding 18x24” posters—each of which is hand-signed by local designer Lucie Rice. 100 percent of the proceeds benefit the Council and our work to eliminate homelessness. Shop now.

BPHC Service Area Competition (SAC) Funding Opportunity Announced for May 1, 2017, Project Period Start Dates

The Bureau of Primary Health Care has released the FY2017 SAC Funding Opportunity Announcement (HRSA-17-054) for service areas with a May 1, 2017, project period start date (current project period end date of April 30, 2017). Current award recipients can refer to Box 6 of the most recent Notice of Award (NoA) to obtain their project period end date. Applications are due to Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on November 7, 2016, and in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) by 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, November 29, 2016. Technical assistance materials are available on the SAC Technical Assistance website.