HCH 2022 Conference Session Materials
Pre-Conference Institutes | Tuesday, May 10
- Julia Dobbins, NHCHC
- Barbara DiPietro, NHCHC
- Leslie Enzian, Edward Thomas House Medical Respite
- Derrick Hoover, FAAFP Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Fellow
- Susannah King, Hennepin Health
- Brooks Ann McKinney, Cone Health and Hospitals/Triad Health Network ACO
- Pamela Mokler, Pamela Mokler & Associates, Inc.
- Annette Rodriguez, Yakima Neighborhood Health Services
Slides and other download materials:
Medical respite care bridges the gap between health care and housing continuum, offering people experiencing homelessness an opportunity to safely rest and recuperate from an acute medical need. Being situated between these two continuums can be challenging, but also provides significant opportunity for community partnerships.
This PCI will focus on how medical respite care programs can cultivate belonging among multiple community entities in order to meet the needs of their clients and disrupt the cycle of homelessness. Building effective program partnerships provides an opportunity not only for clients to address their health, but establish connections and belonging within their communities.
We will discuss strategies for building partnerships across your community, including with referring hospitals, behavioral health providers, managed care organizations/ health plans, and policy makers. This PCI will incorporate both didactic sessions and breakout discussions.
- Pamela Taylor, The Circle Works
Slides and other download materials:
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused high levels of burnout in the HCH community. High turnover, recruitment challenges, direct and vicarious trauma, and dramatic changes to health center operations have all contributed to staff feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and chronically stressed.
A key strategy to mitigate the effects of this trauma is carefully facilitated discussions about it. With this goal, expert facilitators from The Circle Center will lead this full-day training that aims to equip participants with unique group facilitation skills that foster a deep and sustaining sense of connectedness and resilience during challenging times.
The Circle Process is rooted in the tradition of Talking Circles that Indigenous Peoples in North America use and have used for millennia. In this painful time in the movement to end homelessness, we invite community members to come for this unique opportunity both to learn how to cultivate collective resilience and to gain facilitation skills with the Circle Process to share with staff in their own health center. This session is recommended for all levels of health center staff, including administrative and clinical staff.
- Triza Laxmi Aurora, Valley Homeless Healthcare Program
- Lindsay Cross, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
- Irene Guerra, Valley Homeless Healthcare Program
- Bridie Johnson, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
- Baer Karrington, Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Alex Keuroghlian, The Fenway Institute
- Shawn Reilly, Vanderbilt University
- Paloma Sanchez, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
- Shante Chunterry Lee Thomas, Valley Homeless Healthcare Program
Slides and other download materials:
Gender-affirming care is a life-saving intervention, especially for gender-diverse individuals experiencing homelessness. This full-day training is intended for participants interested in starting or expanding gender-affirming care services within their HCH programs. The training will include concurrent sessions for participants who are new to gender-affirming care and those who have provided gender-affirming care for years.
In partnership with Fenway Institute and other national experts, we will share foundational frameworks of gender diversity and how it intersects with homelessness. We will discuss best practices and innovative ideas around hormone therapy, developing community partnerships, gender-affirming surgery, behavioral health needs, and post-operative recovery.
Additionally, the group will engage in an interactive discussion on a constellation of intersecting issues including interpersonal violence, sex work, unsheltered homelessness, substance use, and mental wellbeing. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in information sharing and networking with clinicians from across the country.
Breakout Sessions | Wednesday, May 11
- Julia Lauryn Berner, NHCHC
- Katie League, NHCHC
- Caitlin Synovec, NHCHC
Slides and other download materials:
In the struggle to address homelessness with a lack of affordable housing, communities across the country have adopted and developed strategies to establish pathways to housing using prioritization. However, the past several years have demonstrated both the difficulty in prioritizing who is “most in need” of housing as well as inequities in the systems and tools utilized in this process.
In response to this realization, communities have identified a need to recreate and reimagine their processes to address inequities. Although no community has the “answer” to this challenge, several have identified promising models and lessons learned. This workshop will include a multi-disciplinary panel of individuals from across the country engaged in the process of building a more equitable system.
- Zenobia Smith, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
- Sonja M. Spears, Boston Health Care for the
- Morgan Ward, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
Slides and other download materials:
In the wake of nationwide calls for racial justice following the murder of George Floyd and the systemic racism and structural inequities laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations have vowed to strengthen their racial justice commitments and ensure that JEDI work keeps a seat at the table.
But does the space allotted shift in the presence of pandemic trauma, workforce challenges, and other competing considerations? What are some of the triumphs and challenges that arise when some fear this focus will reduce their elbow room or result in loss, as privilege and power shift while JEDI work is practiced and seems to be present for the long run? One HCH organization will share its experiences and lead an interactive discussion centered on the continued inclusion of JEDI work itself.
- Katy Bazylewicz, Cottage Health
- Monica Ray, Cottage Health
- Becky Santana, Cottage Health
Slides and other download materials:
Recuperative care plays a critical role in connecting the continuum of care for patients experiencing homelessness. For health systems, caring for patients and partnering on medical respite are both mission-aligned and integral to population health.
This workshop will share a model for health system-led respite, its development and implementation story, strengths to evaluation and funding, and how to partner with patients to increase equity. Health systems will learn the benefits of collaboration on recuperative care and its impact within the hospital and community. Shelters will gain insight to build relationships and strengthen communication with hospitals and patients. An open forum format will encourage participants to share their experiences with hospital and shelter collaborations.
- Tonya Bowers, Health Resources and Services Administration
- Richard S. Cho, U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development - Barbara DiPietro, NHCHC
- Emily Mosites, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Jeff Olivet, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
Slides and other download materials:
In this session, staff from various agencies will discuss priority issues, funding opportunities, and other issues pertinent to the HCH community. This session will provide a forum for open discussion about programs and issues vital to health center operations. Time will be reservedfor Q&A.
- Joseph Benson, Health Care for the Homeless Houston
- Katherine Cavanaugh, NHCHC
- Rodney Dawkins,
National Consumer Advocacy Board - Frances Isbell, Health Care for the Homeless Houston
Slides and other download materials:
In this session, staff from various agencies will discuss priority issues, funding opportunities, and other issues pertinent to the HCH community. This session will provide a forum for open discussion about programs and issues vital to health center operations. Time will be reservedfor Q&A.