Please join us at the 2013 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference and Policy Symposium, March 14-16, in Washington, D.C. Prior to the Conference, a full-day Pre-conference Institute, Opportunity Knocks: Opening Doorways for Medical Respite Care, will focus on real-life case scenarios as a foundation to help participants think strategically and critically about how complex cases can be addressed from multiple angles (from administrative, clinical, social service, policy, and advocacy perspectives). In addition to in-depth discussions and activities around complex case scenarios, this year's pre-conference institute will include a health reform update including a discussion of opportunities for medical respite programs to be engaged in local and state initiatives and planning conversations. Several workshops focusing on medical respite care will be offered throughout the general conference.  

Conference Information and Registration 

"Care transitions" refers to the movement of patients between health care locations, providers, or different levels of care within the same location as their conditions and care needs change. A number of health reform efforts aim to systemize and improve care transitions in order to prevent medical errors and unnecessary hospital readmissions. Medical respite programs play a key role in providing adequate care transition services for people experiencing homelessness and have an opportunity to shine as local health systems discuss and plan care transition initiatives. A new policy and practice brief from the National HCH Council, Improving Care Transitions for People Experiencing Homelessness, is now available to help health care providers serving homeless patients better understand and articulate their role in improving care transitions. The paper defines care transitions, describes health reform initiatives to systemize care transitions, explores various evidence-based care transition models, and offers practice and policy recommendations for improving care transitions for people experiencing homelessness.

Care Transition Study Focuses on Medical Respite Programs  

With the support of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, Dr. Michelle Schneidermann, Medical Director at the San Francisco Medical Respite and Sobering Center, is leading a study that aims to identify trends in care transition practices across medical respite programs. A care transition survey was sent to contacts at each of the medical respite programs listed in the 2012 Directory of Medical Respite Programs. Preliminary results from the study will be shared at the 2013 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference and Policy Symposium, March 14-16, in Washington, D.C. The deadline for completing the survey was January 18, 2013. For questions about this study, please contact Dr. Michelle Schneidermann at MSchneiderman@medsfgh.ucsf.edu or 415-206-4462.

Spotlight: Clinicians Start Medical Respite Programs from the Ground Up

Rebecca Doughty

Greg Morris

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RCPN Steering Committee Slate of Nominees  

For reelection:

Chair: Alice Moughamian, RN, Nurse Manager, San Francisco Medical Respite Program  

Chair-elect: Nic Granum, MPA, EMT-B, Interdisciplinary Community Care Team Project Director, Central City Concern, Portland, OR   

Vice Chair: Paul Gregerson, MD, Chief Medical Officer, JWCH Institute, Inc., Los Angeles, CA   

Member: Sal Salas, consumer representative, San Francisco Medical Respite Program  

Member: Joanne Guarino, consumer representative, Boston HCH Program Barbara McInnis House 

Member: Dawn Petroskas, RN, PhD, Director of Health Services, Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis

New nominees:

Member: Mary Beth Meyer, Executive Director, Center for Respite Care, Cincinnati, OH 

Member: Kevin Hamilton, Chief Program Officer, Clinica Sierra Vista, Fresno, CA

Member: Rhonda Hauff, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Yakima Neighborhood Health Services, Yakima, WA

Member: Chauna Brocht, LCSW-C, Coordinator of Special Initiatives, Health Care for the Homeless, Inc., Baltimore, MD