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As vaccines for COVID-19 are approved and become available for distribution, there are many questions about when they will be available for people experiencing homelessness and for staff working in community-based programs, such as health centers and homeless shelters. While the development and distribution of the vaccines are crucial milestones in protecting people from future COVID-19 infections, significant challenges remain.
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council recently issued an issue brief, "COVID-19 and the HCH Community: Vaccines for Patients and Staff," which is intended to: 1) assess the initial state vaccination plans as they relate to people experiencing homelessness; 2) identify the key factors for successful vaccination campaigns; and 3) identify actions the larger homeless services community needs to take.
The Council also hosted a webinar on December 18 that discussed vaccines for clients and staff. Panelists discussed the main challenges to vaccinating the HCH community; strategies needed to ensure a successful vaccination campaign; and immediate action steps to consider in order to be prepared.
Stay up-to-date on all the Council's COVID-19 resources here.
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| | Homeless Persons' Memorial Day Observance and New Toolkit Shine Light on Lives Lost
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"With each name read, with each life that you remember, let us resolve to make the situation right so that this is one of the last Homeless Persons' Memorial Day observances we will ever need." -- Bobby Watts, NHCHC CEO
Nearly 200 people participated in the nationwide virtual observance of the 30th annual Homeless Persons' Memorial Day on December 21. The event featured music and poems, and a listing and reflections of those who were lost in 2020. The observance also included remarks from representatives of the Council's Homeless Mortality Data Workgroup.
In 2019, the Council initiated the Homeless Mortality Data Workgroup to unite expertise on homeless mortality reviews across the county. The Workgroup has compiled the Homeless Mortality Toolkit to share findings and implications from the communities across the country that conduct homeless mortality reviews, and provide guidance on developing or improving homeless mortality reviews. Lessons include how to create partnerships, methods of data collection and analysis, and examples of how communities have used this information to address homeless mortality.
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| | Apply Now for Upcoming Learning Collaboratives
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Two new learning collaboratives are currently accepting applications.
The Council is launching a learning collaborative in February on "Screening and Addressing Social Determinants of Health." At every session, a presentation will be given by an expert at the forefront of care. Topics will include the impact of SDOH on unhoused communities; the benefits of screener utilization; risk stratification of an SDOH screener tool; and the workforce and SDOH. This is a three-year project to ensure that participants have the support needed as they implement a new model. Applications are due by February 12, 2021, at midnight local time; click here to apply and learn more.
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| | Updated Medical Respite Organizational Self-Assessment Now Available Online
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The Medical Respite Organizational Self-Assessment is a newly updated tool that helps medical respite programs evaluate their alignment with the Medical Respite Standards, and guides quality improvement and goal setting for programs. The self-assessment tool can be downloaded here, or can be completed online here.
To learn more about how the Council is working to advance medical respite care, visit the National Institute for Medical Respite Care's website.
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| | New Council Webinar: "How to Conduct a Root Cause Analysis for Diabetes Prevention"
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Registration is now open for an upcoming training session that will demonstrate different methods of conducting root cause analysis, tips and tricks along the way, and a simplified prioritization matrix to strategize which root causes and solutions should be priorities.
The webinar will take place on Thursday, January 7, 2021, from 9:30-11 a.m. Central and will be led by Kristen Bigelow-Talbert, Community Health Quality Manager at Bi-State Primary Care Association.
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| | Deadline Extended for Virtual Care Innovation Network
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The Virtual Care Innovation Network, a community health collaboration founded by Kaiser Permanente, aims to bring together safety net organizations across nine states to redesign care so that virtual care models continue after the COVID-19 pandemic abates and beyond.
The program will enable participants to learn from peers and experts; test new approaches; accelerate the work they have already started; and develop ways to sustain virtual care as an essential component for how care is delivered into the future.
View the application to learn more about the program structure, which consists of three tracks with varying levels of grant funding, participation, technical assistance, and support. The deadline to apply is January 13, 2021.
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| | Council Voices in the News
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Thank you to ALL the organizations that have renewed their membership during our 2020 campaign! We are happy to introduce two organizations that are joining the Council for the first time:
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Support the "Every Member" Campaign: We're Better Together!
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| The financial support of our members is vital to helping the Council fulfill its mission, and we're pleased to announce that the Every Member 2020 Campaign has a $2,500 match for the first $2,500 in donations that the Council receives by December 31, 2020. That means that every donation up to $2,500 is doubled!
Your donation, regardless of amount, is hugely important. Every gift matters! Every dollar counts! Your donation supports technical assistance, advocacy, translational research, public policy, and more.
Please consider contributing to our Every Member 2020 Campaign by donating online and designating "Every Member Contribution" under Gift Purpose. If you wish to make a donation by check, you may complete and return this form.
If you have questions about giving to the Council, please contact Dott Freeman, Senior Director of Advancement, at dfreeman@nhchc.org.
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Follow us for the most up-to-date information on Council news and programs!
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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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| December 22, 2020 | Volume 2, Issue 36| Archives
Copyright © 2020 National Health Care for the Homeless Council, Inc.
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