Continuum of Care News

Secondary school teacher Sarah Ward at home on maternity leave with her 3-month-old daughter, Esme Kelliher. A resident of New Zealand, Ward has access to paid leave, something many American mothers do not. Fiona Goodall/Getty Images If you've been paying attention to the political news in the past couple of years, you know that the U.S. stands virtually alone in not mandating paid leave of any type for its workers. It's hard to miss; the topic has become a top talking point for Democratic politicians. Hillary Clinton is advocating for stronger paid-leave policies on the campaign trail. In her Monday economic address, Clinton called for paid family leave as a way of helping women stay in the workforce. Sen. Bernie Sanders, her closest rival for the Democratic nomination, has advocated both paid vacation and paid maternity leave on the campaign trail. In addition, some cities and states have started instituting  their own sick leave policies . President Obama like...

Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser . Webinar Now Available for Viewing: Strategies to Support Homeless and at-Risk Clients with Effectively Utilizing the Healthcare System HUD's Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPs) and Office of HIV/AIDS Housing (OHH), are pleased to announce the availability of a recently recorded webinar focused on strategies for supporting clients to effectively utilize the healthcare system. Originally presented live on June 24, 2015, this webinar builds on the resources and information highlighted in the preceding webinar, “Strategies for Enrolling People...

Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser . New Resource Available: USICH and Partners Release Key Strategies for Connecting People Experiencing Homelessness to SSI/SSDI Benefits The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) and its partners at the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are pleased to release Key Strategies for Connecting People Experiencing Homelessness to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Benefits . This document i...

Join us for the next webinar in SAMHSA's Behavioral Health IT Summer Webinar Series ! 42 CFR Part 2: Myths and Scenarios Tuesday, July 21, 2015 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET This interactive webinar will address (and debunk!) common myths associated with 42 CFR Part 2 , the federal regulation governing the confidentiality of drug and alcohol use treatment and prevention records . Learn from the experts about the applicability of 42 CFR Part 2, permitted disclosures of protected data, and the ways in which the adoption of electronic health records (EHR) and health information exchanges (HIE) impacts compliance. REGISTER NOW: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3463748967010283777 Featuring presentations by: •          Kate Tipping, JD , Public Health Advisor, SAMHSA •           Deborah Reid, JD , Senior Health Policy Attorney, Legal Action Center •  ...

The proportion of black and Hispanic-Americans without health insurance was greatly reduced in 2014, the first year of the Affordable Care Act, according to a CDC report  released today . The US also saw a significant reduction in the proportion of Hispanics who didn't obtain medical care due to the high cost of that care. Taken together, the findings indicate that the US made important strides last year in terms of reducing the racial disparities that have plagued the country's health care system for so long — even if tremendous gaps remain. Black Americans have the  highest mortality rate  of any racial and ethnic group for cancer, and they're 40 percent more likely to suffer from high blood pressure than white Americans. In addition, Hispanic and non-Hispanic black adults are more likely to  suffer from diabetes  compared with white and Asian adults. That's why this new CDC data is so important; it shows that the US is starting to reduce the h...

WEBINAR ANNOUNCEMENT SAMHSA's Homeless and Housing Resource Network (HHRN) presents:  Privacy and Confidentiality in HMIS: 42 CFR Part 2 July 28, 2015 12:00-1:30 PM (EDT)  This webinar will provide an overview of 42 CFR Part 2 regulations as they relate to entering and storing Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) client data in Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) and practical guidance around the implementation of these regulations. The presenters will also explain how to resolve common issues and/or concerns that may arise when entering PATH client data in HMIS, while maintaining compliance with 42 CFR Part 2 regulations.  This webinar is part of a series of HMIS webinars that address privacy and confidentiality issues when entering PATH client data in HMIS. Upon completion of the webinar, participants will be able to: ...

July 15, 2015 SOAR Webinar: How Working is Promoting Recovery for People with Mental Illness Wednesday, July 22, 2015 3:00pm-4:30pm (EDT) Join us for a webinar featuring researchers and trainers from the Dartmouth IPS Supported Employment Center. IPS stands for Individual Placement and Support, the evidence-based approach to supported employment for people living with mental illness. The Dartmouth presenters will provide an overview of the IPS model, and share information on how this model has been effective with supporting individuals experiencing homelessness work competitively in the community. We will also hear from a SOAR program at Columbus House/Pathways to Independence in New Haven, Connecticut, which offers supported employment services to SOAR applicants considering employment. You will learn how to talk to SOAR applicants about the possibilities of work early in your engagement with SOAR applicants who are co...

Posted by  Tim Evans  on July 13, 2015 New Jersey’s extensive public transportation system is a source of envy for most other states, many of whose larger metropolitan areas are only recently scrambling to build the kinds of transit systems that New Jersey residents have long taken for granted.  Public transportation allows people to get from one place to another without having to rely exclusively on private vehicles, a fact that is especially important to lower-income households, which tend to spend a disproportionate share of their disposable income on transportation. A  2013 analysis  of data from Caltrans’ California Household Travel Survey, conducted by TransForm and the California Housing Partnership Corporation, found that “lower-income households drive 25-30 percent fewer miles when living within a 1/2 mile of transit than those living in non-TOD [transit-oriented development] areas.” Living near transit may even enable such households to forgo a ...