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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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COUNCIL ENDORSES ORGANIZATIONS MANDATING COVID-19 VACCINES FOR HCH STAFF
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, the National Health Care for the Homeless Council issued a statement this week endorsing the many organizations that are mandating the vaccine for its employees. We strongly encourage everyone in the HCH Community to get the vaccine.
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As COVID surges, here's what we can do to fight it:
- Get vaccinated! Getting staff and clients vaccinated is still the best way to protect ourselves and others from severe COVID-19.
- Increase testing! The new variants of COVID-19 are more contagious and are being transmitted among vaccinated and unvaccinated people. The best practice is a minimum of weekly testing at all congregate shelters. Continue to partner with other homeless service providers to offer COVID-19 testing in the community.
- Continue mitigation measures! Social distancing, wearing masks, proper hygiene, decompressed shelters, alternate care sites, and permanent housing are all vital components to decreasing transmission. Advocate to keep non-congregate programs in place!
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“The Delta virus hit us like a firestorm, and it’s happening all over in places that were previously spared.”
Devora Keller, MD, MPH
Medical Director, Medical Respite and Sobering Center
Medical Director, Supportive Housing Nursing Programs
San Francisco Department of Public Health
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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
- Increasing number of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths -- some among fully vaccinated clients.
- Decreasing number of non-congregate isolation/quarantine programs open to serve people experiencing homelessness.
- Fluctuating vaccination rates among shelter clients due to turnover.
- Missing vaccine data on some clients because the Veterans Administration does not enter data into state systems.
- Staffing backup for community vaccine events and screening processes when most staff have returned to primary care duties.
- Recruiting new providers as existing staff leave due to burnout, moral injury, and/or other opportunities.
- Evaluating how best to adopt vaccination mandates for staff.
- Ongoing client requests for Johnson & Johnson vaccine as supplies wane and ordering has ceased.
- Emerging client and staff requests for booster shots.
- Increasing vaccine waste as Moderna vials expand to 14 doses.
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Strategies for Success
- Increase testing activities in all community settings.
- Offer COVID-19 testing at all clinical visits (with an option to opt-out).
- Adjust staff clinic schedules to once again allow for more community testing and vaccination activities.
- Advocate with elected or public health officials for a city-wide vaccine mandate such as the one issued in Denver.
- Add portable air filtration systems to improve air quality in smaller spaces.
- Align COVID-19 vaccine mandate for staff with seasonal flu vaccine requirements (if applicable).
- Build trust among staff by adopting anonymous methods to ask questions of senior leadership and receive direct responses.
- Share information from local/state public health authorities about the Delta variant and ways to protect yourself.
- Obtain additional Johnson & Johnson vaccines from hospital or pharmacy partners (or others) who may still have supplies.
- Share information from the CDC that booster shots are not currently recommended.
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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:
- CDC issued a new 60-day eviction moratorium, in effect until October 3. Legal challenges were immediately filed, and it doesn’t cover all areas of the country, where evictions continue. (But it’s better than nothing.)
- The Biden Administration announced an action plan to get more Americans vaccinated, to include requiring proof of vaccination for all federal employees, or ongoing testing and adherence to masking and social distancing requirements.
- The CDC revised its mask guidelines for people who are vaccinated and now recommends fully vaccinated individuals wear masks in public indoor settings in areas with substantial or high transmission. Fully vaccinated individuals should be tested 3-5 days after an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and should remain masked in public indoor settings for 14 days after exposure or until they receive a negative test.
- The Biden Administration announced support for making the long-term effects of COVID-19 a disability that would entitle people to the rights and resources allocated under federal disability laws.
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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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