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The Biden-Harris Administration recently announced a $6.1 billion investment from the American Rescue Plan Act for community health centers to expand access to care. Funds have been distributed to every health center with guidelines that allow for flexible use of the funding to address a wide range of needs.
The COVID-19 pandemic has left health centers with critical budgetary, staffing, and programmatic gaps that these funds must be used to fill. However, this funding also poses a unique opportunity to improve systems of care for people experiencing homelessness by partnering with Continuums of Care and homeless services providers and linking this funding to other COVID-19 relief resources. Such collaborations can yield improvements in both housing and health care outcomes for very vulnerable people. Our newest issue brief outlines possibilities related to supportive housing, medical respite/recuperative care, telehealth, and other options that might be newly possible.
On Monday, April 19, from 12-1 p.m. CT, the National Health Care for the Homeless Council will host a community discussion to exchange ideas, brainstorm, and learn from each other about the possibilities for using this funding. Let's maximize this opportunity to improve care and bolster sustainable community responses to homelessness.
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| | Trust or Trustworthiness: Which Comes First?
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As health centers embark on vaccinating people in their communities against COVID-19, conversations regarding vaccine hesitancy versus access, and how to build vaccine confidence and trust are necessary. The Council is presenting a two-part webinar series, April 21 and April 28, focused on trust and trustworthiness.
The first webinar, Wednesday, April 21, at 1 p.m. CT, will provide insight into the historical background of how trust has been broken among marginalized populations, and will feature Eboni Winford, Director of Research and Health Equity, Cherokee Health Systems; Van Yu, Chief Medical Officer, Center for Urban Community Services, Janian Medical Center; and Charlotte Garner, Regional Representative, National Consumer Advisory Board.
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The second webinar, Wednesday, April 28, at 1 p.m. CT, will highlight the principles of trustworthiness, and why being a trustworthy individual and organization is important, and will feature Rachel Murphy, Family Nurse Practitioner, First Nations Community Health Source; Bakari Burns, President/CEO, Health Care Center for the Homeless; and Tanya DeHoyos, Chief People Officer, National Health Foundation.
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| | Webinar to Discuss the "Antigen Testing in Congregate Shelters" Playbook
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The National Health Care for the Homeless Council has collaborated with Kaiser Permanente and UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative to provide guidance on COVID-19 screening in congregate shelters. A webinar on Friday, April 23, at 1 p.m. CT, will discuss the Antigen Testing in Congregate Shelters: Process Outline and Implementation Playbook, which provides key strategy, planning, and operational considerations for implementing screening testing in congregate shelters to monitor, prevent, and respond to COVID-19 outbreaks using quick, inexpensive rapid testing solutions that present an alternative to PCR-only testing.
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| | The 2021 National HCH Conference & Policy Symposium is Less Than Four Weeks Away!
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Registration is now open for the 2021 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium, which will take place virtually May 10-14. The conference will explore innovative approaches to homeless health care and service delivery through a COVID-19 lens in five days of intensive CME, ANCC, and NASW accredited trainings. Attendees also will have the opportunity to network, share best practices, meet virtually with exhibitors and sponsors, and recognize peers for their distinguished service.
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| | NEW: Medical Respite/Recuperative Care Literature Review
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Although a large part of the research continues to focus on the cost-effectiveness of medical respite/recuperative care, it has expanded to look more closely at additional outcomes, such as connection to community care and services, consumers’ experiences and perspectives, and interventions specific to medical respite/recuperative care. This document also provides a description of medical respite/recuperative care programs published in the literature and medical profiles of those engaged in medical respite/recuperative care.
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| | Benefit Partner Spotlight
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Organizational members of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council have access to a number of benefits, including opportunities to network, collaborate, and advocate alongside an expansive group of leaders and professionals. Nonstop Wellness is a proprietary health insurance product that combines the benefits of a self‐funded plan with the financial predictability of a fully funded plan. By combining a major medical plan with the Nonstop Wellness program, nonprofits can gain greater control of their employer‐sponsored health insurance spending while offering their workforce excellent health benefits.
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| | Council Voices in the News
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On CNN, Council CEO Bobby Watts and LifeLong Medical Care spoke on Erin Burnett OutFront about the progress and challenges of vaccinating people experiencing homelessness against COVID-19. (Friday, April 2, 2021)
View the video here; read the full article here.
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The National Journal's "Wednesday Q&A" featured Bobby Watts addressing health and housing inequities, racism, and his work as a member of President Biden's COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. (Wednesday, April 7, 2021)
Read the article here.
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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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| April 14, 2021 | Volume 3, Issue 4| Archives
Copyright © 2021 National Health Care for the Homeless Council, Inc.
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