2020-2021 Council Learning Collaboratives
Several new learning collaboratives will start this fall and will continue over the next several months. These initiatives, focused on various topics, are designed for health centers, PCAs and HCCNs, and other organizations interested in quality improvement, practice transformation, and peer learning.
Consumer Leadership Learning Collaborative
This will be a three-year experiential learning opportunity in developing partnerships. We will begin with creating an online consumer leadership toolkit, then develop consumer leadership skills, and finally use our skills to work with the CAB and health center to identify a social determinant of health need in the community and develop a plan to create a partnership that will bring that resource to the health center. The Learning Collaborative will be comprised of at least 10 health centers, with a consumer and staff representative, who will meet 4 times each year to move this work forward. Applications are due by Friday, January 29th. If you would like more information about this opportunity, please reach out to Katherine Cavanaugh, Consumer Advocate, at kcavanaugh@nhchc.org.Apply
Screening and Addressing the Social Determinants of Health(SDOH) Learning Collaborative
Applications are due February 12, 2021, at midnight local time to participate in this three-year learning collaborative.
Providers have clients with a differing array of needs that require unique intervention. To enhance the assessment for individuals in need, we have partnered with speakers and facilitators from the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations(AAPCHO); Association of Clinicians for the Underserved(ACU), and National Health Care for the Homeless Council(NHCHC). At every session, a presentation on screening and addressing SDOH will be given by an expert at the forefront of care. Topics that will be discussed include SDOH impact on unhoused communities; the benefits of screener utilization; risk stratification of an SDOH screener tool; and the workforce and SDOH.
This is a 3-year project to ensure that participants have the support needed as they implement a new model. Participants will use the framework of a Change Map as an action planning tool and will use the Prevention Institute’s CCHH materials for assessment and to inform their action plans. Applications are now open.Apply
Support Inclusive Recovery: Addressing the Intersection of Gender, Behavioral Health Services, and Homelessness
Gender significantly impacts an individual’s experience of homelessness, behavioral health, and health care services. In partnership with Futures Without Violence, this learning collaborative seeks to improve integration of gender justice in behavioral health services through healing-centered patient engagement, community partnerships, and an awareness of gender-specific trauma. Throughout the four-month process, we will address intersections of experience that may affect behavioral health care, such as gender bias, transgender health, interpersonal violence, human trafficking, and gender in the workplace.
This eight-session learning collaborative will occur May-August 2021 and applications will open March 2021. For more information about this opportunity, please contact Kelli Klein, Behavioral Health Technical Assistance Coordinator, at kklein@nhchc.org.
Community Centered Health Homes Learning Collaborative
Applications are open to participate in this three-year learning collaborative.
Health Care for the Homeless providers serve a population with complex health and social needs. The Community Centered Health Home (CCHH) model builds on the concept of PCMH while integrating a whole person, SDOH framework. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council has partnered with the Prevention Institute to provide trainings and peer learning sessions to assist HCH health centers in the adoption of the CCHH Model and support the participating health centers as they build community partnerships to accomplish this goal. This is a 3-year project to ensure that participants have the support needed as they imple ment a new model. Participants will use the framework of a Change Map as an action planning tool and will use the Prevention Institute’s CCHH materials for assessment and to inform their action plans.Apply
Body Mass Index Screening and Optimizing Telehealth for Diabetes Prevention
In a review of 2019 UDS data, overweight and obesity was the highest diagnosed condition among people experiencing homelessness receiving care at Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) health centers. Adults who are overweight or obese, having a Body Mass Index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25 kg/m2 are at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes. When addressing people with a BMI outside of normal range, it is important for health care providers to be trauma-informed and approach the issue of obesity in a sensitive, culturally appropriate manner.
Council staff will facilitate a learning collaborative focused on improving the BMI related Clinical Performance Measure. This interactive peer-learning opportunity is open to health centers interested in exploring and sharing effective strategies to increase not only the percentage of patients screened for BMI, but also the number of follow-up plans developed when a patient’s BMI is outside of normal parameters. The learning collaborative will convene over the course of six (6)- 90-minute sessions starting October 21st. The curriculum will include strategies to address obesity, weight bias, and stigma; and how to approach the topic of obesity with a culturally appropriate, trauma-informed lens. Content will also focus on how telehealth may be optimized for monitoring and follow-up. Applications are now open and close Friday, December 11th, at midnight local time. The Learning Collaborative begins Wednesday, December 16th. CLICK HERE to apply.
For more information, contact Darlene Jenkins at djenkins@nhchc.org.
Applications for this Learning Collaborative are now closed.
Medical Respite New Start Initiative
Medical respite care is an essential component in the continuum of care for people experiencing homelessness. The need for expanded medical respite services has been made even more evident over the last six months during the COVID-19 pandemic. While medical respite has grown significantly across the country, there are still several communities and states without medical respite services and therefore no safe place for people experiencing homelessness to go when they are discharged from the hospital.
The Medical Respite New Start Initiative will be a three-year learning collaborative designed to help health organizations in the early stages of developing medical respite build community partnerships, establish their programs, and open their doors to clients.
In the first year, learning collaborative participants will work towards achieving self-identified milestones and lay the groundwork for implementing a medical respite program. Throughout the process, participants will develop tools with the support of the Council and their peers. The group will meet virtually seven times between December 2020 – June 2021 on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 2:00 p.m. EST.
If you have questions or would like additional information, please reach out to Caitlin Synovec, Medical Respite Program Manager, at csynovec@nhchc.org.
Applications for this Learning Collaborative are now closed.
Screening Methods and Using Outreach and Enabling Services to Address Social Determinants of Health
Special and vulnerable populations often face additional barriers to care, many of which are compounded by social determinants. When screening for Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), health centers serving special and vulnerable populations will need to take into account the unique needs and circumstances of the populations they serve, particularly during times of crisis (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic). Screening for SDOH is the first step towards addressing these disparities.
Beginning in October 2020, the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), Health Outreach Partners (HOP), MHP Salud, and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC) will create an opportunity for health centers serving special and vulnerable populations to explore effective strategies to screen for SDOH and build effective practices to address SDOH through the provision of outreach and Enabling Services (e.g., non-clinical services. The Learning Collaborative will consist of four 90-minute sessions from October to November 2020. Sessions will highlight best practices and facilitate interactions among participants to share strategies, challenges, and successes. Click here to learn more and apply by Wednesday, September 30, or contact Brett Poe, Research Associate, at bpoe@nhchc.org for more information.
Applications for this Learning Collaborative are now closed.