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Interview with New Board Chair Bobby Watts
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New Board Chair Bobby Watts, Executive Director of Care for the Homeless in New York, talked with Melissa DaSilva, Deputy Director of National HCH Council, about Bobby's work in HCH and public health and how to stay connected and engaged in the work as an administrator.
"...I've made a commitment to devote part of my time, brain power, and energy towards working with the Council staff and working with John to advance the cause of the Council, which is really to help end homelessness, to advance health care and housing as human rights and to support the grantees." READ THE INTERVIEW.
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Stay Connected with the Council:
Like our Facebook page and
follow us on Twitter @NatlHCHCouncil
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Regional Trainings
Make plans to join us at a FREE Health Care for the Homeless Regional Training this year: - Seattle, WA | July 12 & 13 Register Now!
- Orlando, FL | November 1 & 2
The National HCH Council is also partnering with the Region IX Conference, September 6-8, 2012 in San Diego, CA. Training details and registration information will be posted to nhchc.org in the coming months. |
Webinars
The Council will offer several free, interactive webinars this summer, including:
- Hot Spotters in the HCH Setting: Managing Patients with Complex Co-morbidities | June 23, 12NOON EDT | Register Now!
- Medicaid Expansion: Lessons Learned from the HCH Community | July 24, 1PM EDT
- Integrating Employment Strategies into Supportive Housing Programs | July 25, 2PM EDT
- LGBT Care in the Patient Centered Medical Home | August 15 TIME TBA
- HCH Quality Leaders: Key Practices & Improvement Strategies | August DATE & TIME TBA
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LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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 | | John Lozier, MSSW |
"...the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has recognized in a grant to the National HCH Council the significance of how people without homes are served by the current health care system. Our proposal to examine the value of Community Health Workers in diverting homeless frequent utilizers of hospitals into more effective primary care will demonstrate that we can improve access, improve care, and reduce costs, the "triple aim" of health care reform." FULL LETTER
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CARE ALLIANCE RECEIVES $5.5M AWARD
In May, Care Alliance Health Center in Cleveland received two awards from HHS, a $5M capital grant to to fund a new clinic site and a $500K grant to reconfigure patient flow and add dental services to an existing site. Care Alliance CEO, Francis Afram-Gyening, serves on the Board of the National HCH Council.
ILLUMINATION FOUNDATION HOUSING SUCCESS STORY Illumination Foundation worked with local Anaheim restaurateur Bruno Serato to help families living in motels to move into housing with paid security deposits of first and last months' rent. READ THE FULL STORY CELEBRATE HCH DAY AUGUST 8 HCH Day, Wednesday of National Health Center Week, is an opportunity to celebrate the tremendous work your project does for your patients and community. Please consider planning an event to commemorate HCH Day and make sure to include consumers in the planning process. Plan a health fair, hold a candidate forum, conduct a voter registration drive or just have an open house--any way to connect with your community and acknowledge the great work you do. Please visit the Health Center Week website maintained by our friends at NACHC for more ideas and details and email Dan Rabbit at the Council to let us know what you are planning, how we can help, and how things go.
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HCH CLINICIANS' NETWORK NEWS
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WELCOME NEW CN STEERING COMMITTEE OFFICERS
Chairperson: Michelle Nance (CA)
Chair-elect: Mollie Bresnahan (MS)
Fiscal Officer: Paul Leon (CA)
WELCOME NEW CN STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Region I: Pooja Bhalla (MA)
Region II: Debbian Fletcher-Blake (NY)
Region V: Daniel Meges (OH)
Region VI: Mark Fox (OK)
READ BIOS OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Congratulations to the Network overall for the completion of several major projects and four issues of Healing Hands.
NEWEST ISSUE OF HEALING HANDS
The latest issue of Healing Hands, Addressing Family Homelessness, explores the unique burdens of homelessness on families, offers homeless health care providers tools to address some of these issues and reports on the effort to end family homelessness.
FREE JOURNAL ISSUE ON INTEGRATING PRIMARY CARE & PUBLIC HEALTH The American Journal of Preventative Medicine (AJPM) and the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) jointly published a special issue this month (June 2012) on Integrating Primary Care and Public Health. As one of the collaborators in development of this publication, HRSA is able to provide this issue to grantees, partners, staff, and the general public at no cost. VIEW THE ISSUE AT AJPM. VIEW THE ISSUE AT AJPH.
FREE ARTICLE ON HEALTH LITERACY FROM OUR PARTNERS AT ASSOCIATION OF CLINICIANS FOR THE UNDERSERVED Lois Wessel, FNP, Georgetown University, School of Nursing and Health Studies, has published "Help your patient 'get' what you just said: A health literacy guide" in the Journal of Family Practice. The article is free after signing up. READ THE ARTICLE.
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JUNE HCH RESEARCH UPDATE
In its HCH Research Update, the Council summarizes recent research activity of the Practice-Based Research Network and Council Research Staff. FULL UPDATE
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2012 NCAB MENTORING PROGRAM  A few years ago some of the current NCAB Steering Committee members were mentored by Ellen Dailey, the mother of the consumer movement. She encouraged our involvement at our local projects. She welcomed us to socialize and network with other non-clinicians and consumers. As vacancies developed on NCAB she observed and nurtured our talents. At the time we did not consider it mentoring - it was just Ellen being her kind and welcoming self. As NCAB continued to grow, we became aware of the needs of the consumers new to NCAB and tried to replicate what Ellen did for all of us. The consumer mentoring program began with this intention but has had a rocky start. Consumers/peers helping each other is the best way for them to get to know the Conference, but organizing it has been difficult. It is a pleasure to say after years of development that this was a banner year for the NCAB mentoring program for all new consumers. Thanks to all persons who helped provide a positive experience for the 2012 class of consumers. READ ABOUT ELLEN'S MENTORING | |
NCAB MEMBERSHIP ELECTS NEW STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
NCAB held their annual business meeting at the national conference in Kansas City, MO. Consensus was reached to elect the following new officers for the steering committee:
- Joseph Benson, Chair, Houston, TX
- Tom Rossi, Co-chair, Denver, CO
- Tina Hayes, Member-at-large, Atlanta, GA
- Rodney Dawkins, Member-at-large, Chicago, IL
- Preston Witt, Regional Representative, Houston, TX
These new officers and positions will continue to grow NCAB and the consumer movement even further. READ NEW MEMBER BIOS
LETTER FROM INCOMING CHAIR JOSEPH BENSON
Hello consumers, directors and staff of Health Care for the Homeless Projects,
My name is Joseph Benson, the incoming Chair of the National Consumer Advisory Board (NCAB). We as the leadership of the steering committee would like to express to all members of the HCH community that the word for consumers across the nation is inclusion. We want everyone to have a meaningful opportunity to contribute to our work. We would like all consumers and all Consumer Advisory Boards (CABs) to participate when possible in our activities: conducting research, voter registration, public education, or providing feedback to the broader HCH community. By participating in NCAB's work, we as consumers will have a say in the things that impact us and our neighbor's lives.
In order to reach out to other consumers, we are developing a directory of CABs around the country. Please email ncab@nhchc.org with information on your CAB, your chairperson's contact information and any other information you would like to tell us. Please also write us about what great work you are doing in your community. We would be happy to publish it in the newsletter, connect you with others in your area, or give you support if you need it.
Sincerely,
Joseph "Cowboy" Benson
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2012 ELLEN DAILY AWARD WINNERS!
Inspiring speeches and inspiring work abounded as this year's Ellen Daily Consumer Advocate Award Winners accepted their awards at the national conference. This year's recipients, Sue Campbell of Las Cruces, NM, and Cary Carner of Denver, CO, implored the audience to keep fighting, working and seeking to understand one another. Please view the Ellen Daily page for more on their great work.
GRATITUDE TO OUTGOING NCAB CO-CHAIR AND CHAIR
Honoring Carol:
Term limits have brought four productive years as Co-Chair to a close for Carol Hall. The Council and NCAB hope that Carol continues to work with the HCH Community going forward but also want to take the time to thank her for all of her work. Carol's experience as a single woman on the streets brought an invaluable perspective to the work of NCAB and the Council. She also brought laughter, kindness, and artistic talent - actually creating the current NCAB logo. Beyond the "hands" logo that will continue to define NCAB, Carol contributed to many of NCAB's projects and growth over the last four years, providing input to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, participating in several consumer participation outreach studies, presenting workshops at National Conferences and participating on numerous committees. Although we will miss Carol on the Steering Committee, we know she will continue to do what she does best: advocate for others who are homeless, both locally and nationally. We have gained so much by her being a part of the Steering Committee. Thank you, Carol. Honoring Amy:
While Amy will continue on as an advisor to NCAB and as Secretary to the Council Board of Directors, it is still fitting to thank her for her time as Chair of NCAB. Amy Grassette has been a leader of the Consumer Governance movement during a time of unprecedented growth. She has served 6 consecutive years on the NCAB (2 years as Co-Chair and 4 years as Chair) and has contributed to most if not all of the achievements of NCAB over that time. An accomplished spokeswoman for consumer involvement, Amy has presented at federal conferences, collaborated with numerous organizations, and promoted consumer involvement and advocacy at every turn. Amy's personal experience of family homelessness has educated thousands and broken down stereotypes of homelessness throughout the country. Amy lives in Worcester, MA with her husband Bill Grasssette, her children, and a growing list of Grandchildren. We hope Amy can spend some more time with her family as her NCAB Chair position winds to a close, but not too much because we continue to need her in NCAB and at the Council. Thank you, Amy.
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NASHVILLE TRAINING ON LGBT HEALTH CARE AND HOUSING
Join us for a live training event on June 29, 2012, at Nashville's Oasis Center. This full-day event, presented in partnership with The Fenway Institute and the Oasis Center, will offer strategies, resources and information regarding services for LGBT youth and adults. Speakers from both the Fenway Institute and the Oasis Center will be featured. Fenway is also offering CME credit for their portion of the training. REGISTER NOW.
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SUPREME COURT RULING ON HEALTH REFORM EXPECTED LATE JUNE
The Supreme Court is expected to issue its decisions on the Affordable Care Act in late June. Three possibilities are at stake: the court can invalidate the entire law, the individual mandate provision, and/or the Medicaid expansion. Of particular importance to the HCH community is the expansion of Medicaid to most people at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. Losing part or all of the ACA will have major impacts on the entire health care system. The Council is continuing to partner with federal agencies and national advocacy organizations as the Administration moves forward with implementation, and many of you are involved with this and other state-level activity as well. Stay tuned for important developments coming from the Court and other news outlets later this month. In the meantime, the Council maintains many health reform resources on our health reform page.
CAPITOL HILL UPDATE This summer and beyond are shaping up to be as contentious and consequential as ever here in the nation's capital. The annual deliberations over next year's funding are well underway and issues of deficit reduction, automatic spending cuts and expiring tax breaks continue to dominate much of the dialogue. Programs that serve low-income individuals, such as Medicaid and food stamps, are especially at risk and have already been identified for cuts in some packages. Stay tuned for future Mobilizers (sign up here) on these topics and make sure to speak up for the programs that you or your clients depend on. INTEGRATE VOTER REGISTRATION AND ENGAGEMENT AT YOUR PROJECT! Empowering those experiencing homelessness has long been a guiding principle of the work of HCH projects and the Council. As this November's elections draw near, the Council plans to work with both our partners in the Community Health Center world and the Homeless Advocacy world to provide tools and opportunities for grantees to become further involved in registering their clients to vote and engaging them in the political process. Please visit our voter registration page and be on the lookout this summer for more opportunities from the Council and our partners. | |
RALLY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
At this year's National Conference and Policy Symposium, leaders in the field of HCH gathered to proclaim the human right to affordable and adequate health care and housing. Executive Director John Lozier remarked, "The issues we face cannot be confined to meeting rooms in big hotels, but belong on the streets where our neighbors try simply to survive." The message resonated, leaving Conference attendees and Kansas City residents similarly inspired and earning some coverage by local media.
Speakers included Council Board Chair Bobby Watts, National Consumer Advisory Board Chair Joseph Benson, Kansas City Homeless Services Coalition Director Vickie Riddle, Western Regional Advocacy Project Organizing Director Paul Boden, Health Care for the Homeless Baltimore President and CEO Kevin Lindamood, Council Policy Director Barbara DiPietro, and Council Executive Director John Lozier. Many other attendees spoke with passion, including several passersby from Kansas City. NCAB Co-Chair Tom Rossi and Health Policy Organizer Dan Rabbitt served as MCs. Much thanks to all involved - maintain that energy and inspiration!
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WWW.NHCHC.ORG This publication was made possible by grant number U30CS09746 from the Health Resources & Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Health Resources & Services Administration. |
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