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IN THIS ISSUE · Children come first in Orlando · Steering Committee Nominations
· Get out the Vote · and more! |
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Letter from the Executive Director
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John Lozier, MSSW
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This letter will reach you shortly before our national elections. The campaigns are full of contradictions, distortions, and distractions that can take our eyes off the prize of health care justice. While we fully understand the importance of the election's outcome for people experiencing homelessness, we cannot allow ourselves to be paralyzed by the demands of the electoral moment.
Our work continues to focus on the changes in health care that are required by the Affordable Care Act and are vital regardless of the fate of the ACA after the election...
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REGIONAL TRAININGS
 Children come first at our Orlando Regional Training.
Join us November 1-2 for this exciting training opportunity that will offer two full days of workshops and professional development, each beginning with a focus on children experiencing homelessness and the effects of homelessness on their lives. Beth Davalos, LCSW, will be speaking during the event. Having worked with children and families for over 20 years, Davalos was recently featured in two segments of CBS's 60 Minutes, "Hard Times Generation I: Homeless Kids" and "Hard Times Generation II: Families Living in Cars".
FIND OUT MORE.
This event is jointly sponsored by the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council.
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WEBINARS
"Care is Key" this fall as the National HCH Council focuses on patient care with even more free, interactive webinars, including:
- Care Transitions for Patients Experiencing Homelessness | Oct. 24, 3 p.m. East. | REGISTER NOW!
- Moving Forward with Meaningful Use in the HCH Setting | Nov. 8, 1 p.m. East. | REGISTER NOW!
- Joining Forces: Improving Care for Veterans through HCH-VA Collaborations | Nov. 13, 1 p.m. East. | REGISTER NOW!
- Leading Transformation to a Patient-Centered Medical Home | Nov. 15, 1 p.m. East. | REGISTER NOW!
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ORGANIZATION SPOTLIGHT
 In May 2012, the National Health Care for the Homeless Council was awarded $2.6 million to initiate the Community Health Workers and HCH: a Partnership to Promote Primary Care project. We are proud to announce that the first Community Health Worker has been hired for our Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) Project, by Harbor Homes in Nashua, New Hampshire!
READ MORE.
PRACTICE-BASED RESEARCH NETWORK
The National HCH Council's Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) focuses on research in clinical settings exploring issues that affect the primary health care needs of those experiencing homelessness. To join the PBRN and to participate in studies, please contact Molly Meinbresse, MPH, Program & Research Specialist.
If you are interested in conducting research with the HCH PBRN, please download and complete the Research Proposal Form.
LET US MEET YOUR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NEEDS
NHCHC is a federally supported, national provider of technical assistance and trainings for homeless health care providers and other federally qualified health centers. The Research Team offers technical assistance on a number of topics, including Enabling Services, Needs Assessments, Veterans, and Consumer Involvement. To inquire about our technical assistance, please contact Dr. Darlene Jenkins, Director of Research and Evaluation, to be directed to the appropriate research staff.
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CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE
Final recommendations have just been published by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on screening for chronic kidney disease.
READ MORE.
HEALTH CARE AND HOUSING
The National Alliance to End Homelessness and the 100,000 Homes Campaign are hosting a webinar on November 1 called "Tips & Tools to Improve Housing/Health Care Integration".
REGISTER TODAY.
ELIMINATING HEALTH DISPARITIES
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recently published a review of research titled Quality Improvement Interventions to Address Health Disparities, Closing the Quality Gap: Revisiting the State of the Science.
READ MORE.
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HCH CLINICIANS' NETWORK NEWS
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STEERING COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS: DEADLINE NOV. 30
 Are you a big-picture thinker and passionate advocate for your patients? Do you have a colleague who is skilled at collaborating with other clinicians? Nominate yourself or a fellow clinician for a position on the Health Care for the Homeless Clinicians' Network Steering Committee.
FIND OUT MORE.
YOUTH EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS WORKGROUP
Are you knowledgeable and interested in the topic of youth homelessness? The Clinicians' Network Steering Committee is putting together a workgroup to begin developing a project on outreach and engaging homeless youth, and we would like to invite you to participate!
With the help of staff, the work group will decide on what direction the project will take, what form of product will be developed (i.e., webinar, pre-conference institute, journal article, or quick guides), how we will develop the product, and the timeline for the project. This group will be responsible for developing a final product. If you are interested in providing contributions to this upcoming youth homelessness project and joining the work group, please contact Juli Hishida, Technical Assistance Coordinator, for more information.
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RESPITE CARE PROVIDERS' NETWORK NEWS
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STEERING COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS: DEADLINE NOV. 30
 We invite you to nominate yourself, a colleague or a program participant for a position on the National Health Care for the Homeless Respite Care Providers' Network (RCPN) Steering Committee. The RCPN Steering Committee manages and directs the work of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council related to medical respite care. To accomplish this work, the Committee meets monthly by teleconference and twice annually in-person; once in October at the Council headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, and again in conjunction with the National Health Care for the Homeless Conference. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, November 30, 2012. FIND OUT MORE.
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NATIONAL CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD NEWS
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NCAB LEADS THE WAY IN VOTER REGISTRATION
 NCAB steering committee member Rodney Dawkins, from Heartland Health Outreach (HHO) in Chicago, held weekly sessions during August, September, and October to assist people experiencing homelessness with registering to vote. Dawkins's experience showed that individuals were reluctant to register for a number of reasons, all of which he helped resolve.
STEERING COMMITTEE AND REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE NOMINATIONS OPEN
 Nominations for NCAB Leadership positions are now open. Available positions include Co-Chair, Secretary, two Members-at-large, and all five Regional Representative Positions. FIND OUT MORE.
ELLEN DAILEY AWARD NOMINATIONS OPEN
 The Ellen Dailey Award, whose namesake was a tireless advocate for the homeless and founding NCAB member, acknowledges the extraordinary work of consumers who have used their experience of homelessness to help others and advocate for social change. Nominations are currently open.
FIND OUT MORE.
NCAB CHAIR JOSEPH BENSON ON NASHVILLE MEETING  "I look forward to the October meetings, because as a consumer, they allow us to become closer as a group. There were many new faces this year, and the meetings gave us an opportunity to get to know one another and network. They also gave the new members a chance to see NCAB has the opportunity to really make a difference in the work of Health Care for the Homeless projects. As always, this year's meetings were very informative and gave attendees the chance to inform our future work. Be on the lookout for future NCAB projects, such as the Consumer Participation Outreach project and other training opportunities for consumers nationwide."
NHCHC WELCOMES NEW CONSUMER ADVOCATE  Social worker Brian Zralek has joined the National HCH Council as the new Consumer Advocate and will be working closely with NCAB in the coming months. Zralek has several years experience in homeless direct services, nonprofit management, and antipoverty outreach, including serving as a homeless case manager and community organizer with NHCHC organizational member Central City Concern in Portland, Oregon.
"As Consumer Advocate for NHCHC, I organize and coordinate the activities of the National Consumer Advisory Board," Zralek says. "I am thrilled to support the organization and support NCAB leadership!"
CAB DIRECTORY UPDATES
NCAB is continuing its work on a national directory of Consumer Advisory Boards (CABs) and other consumer groups at HCH projects, similar to the HCH Grantee Directory and the Respite Program Directory already posted on the National HCH Council website. Such a directory would allow us to maintain contact with consumer communities and to share and learn from all of the great work by consumers locally. Please keep an eye out for communication from NCAB members in the near future and thanks for your assistance!
CONSUMER PARTICIPATION OUTREACH TOPIC SELECTED
This year, NCAB will focus on enabling and other services that improve health access. A survey is currently being designed, and local consumer groups will be identified to administer the survey in the coming months. Stay tuned for more information and opportunities to get involved as the project moves forward.
HOMELESS PERSONS' MEMORIAL DAY
 The National Coalition for the Homeless, the National Consumer Advisory Board and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council encourage communities to host public events on December 21 remembering your neighbors who have died homeless in the past year.
Links to many resources are on the NHCHC website, including the 2012 National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day Organizers' Manual, to give you ideas about activities you may want to plan in your own community. Feel free to contact Brian Zralek for more information.
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GET OUT THE VOTE
 Just as health insurance does not equal health access, it is important to remember being registered to vote does not equal voting. Make sure to talk to your clients about voting and provide support in what can be a daunting task. Visit the Council voter registration and engagement page or contact Dan Rabbitt for more information.
GET READY! OCT. 1, 2013 IS ONLY A YEAR AWAY
Open enrollment begins in one year for the Medicaid and Exchange insurance expansions that will become effective on January 1, 2014. Are you ready? How are you engaged at the state level in vital conversations that will determine how (or if) these programs work for people experiencing homelessness?
Let the Council know if you'd like technical assistance to help you prepare. NHCHC has health reform resources available, including policy briefs and webinars focused specifically on homelessness as well as a library of materials from other organizations. MOBILIZER
Find out how Congress, sequestration, and other budget cuts will affect HCHs and other safety net providers through the Mobilizers. Are you signed up to receive these messages?
POLICY BRIEF ON MEDICAID
Read the policy brief published as a joint collaboration between the Council and the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (with financial support from KCMU), which highlights HCH experiences with enrolling consumers into Medicaid and proposes issues for consideration as states move toward the larger Medicaid expansion to non-disabled adults in 2014. Be sure to watch the Council's webinar on the brief, as well.
CHANGES IN THE HCH 12-MONTH RULE
The Council's policy alert notifies HCH grantees about a change that gives greater flexibility for those participating in Housing First and other Permanent Supportive Housing programs.
READ MORE.
STATE-LEVEL ADVOCACY TRAINING
 The Council conducted a state-level advocacy training on health reform to nine teams from eight states at the Highlander Center outside Knoxville, Tennessee. This event was made possible through a grant from the Butler Family Foundation.
READ MORE.
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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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