2019 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium
Working Together for Justice
May 22-25, 2019 | Washington, D.C.
The Call for Proposals has now closed, and decisions will be announced soon. Thank you to those who submitted proposals for HCH2019!
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council welcomes proposals to provide both introductory and advanced educational content at the annual conference of clinicians, patients, researchers, administrators, advocates, and policy makers working at the intersection of health care, homelessness, and housing.
Conference Theme
Proposals should address an aspect of the conference theme “Working Together for Justice.” We consider “Working Together” to be partnerships and collaborations between and among providers of diverse disciplines, consumers, policy makers, advocates, and organizations that are essential to increasing access and improving quality of care and health outcomes. Our theme acknowledges collaborating organizations with shared goals, objectives, and mutual respect are vital to the delivery of coordinated, comprehensive health care and are needed to successfully end homelessness.
“Justice” is the principal that compels different individuals and entities such as health care providers, social services agencies, housing providers, schools, academic institutions/teaching hospitals, law enforcement, and judicial systems to strengthen the community’s safety net, to address social and health disparities, structural racism, build a culture of health for all, and promote human rights through equity, diversity and inclusion. We are also interested in proposals that highlight various subpopulations and their experiences with civil rights and social injustices, including rural communities, populations of various ethnicities, sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender identity, the elderly, children, youth, or Veterans, and welcome proposals that highlight and promote cultural humility and trauma-informed principles.
To be considered, proposals should also include policy implications. For example, topics such as social justice policies affecting healthcare and housing and effective grassroots movements that can mobilize entire communities to effectively form coalitions to create positive change for its citizens.
Examples that cohere with this theme include, but are not limited to:
- Identifying and addressing social inequalities and injustices that lead to disparities
- Health care delivery models that promote equity , diversity and the inclusion of patients and staff, of different races, ages, ethnicities, languages, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, or worldview
- Ways to demonstrate the value and impact of the Health Care for the Homeless model to potential stakeholders
- How to reduce social barriers and stigmas to increase access to care and other basic needs
- Creating culturally appropriate, trauma-informed spaces in care settings to provide whole-person, patient-centered care
- Examples of how individuals and community groups can advocate for policies that promote culturally appropriate care for people experiencing homelessness
- Strategies to address structural and institutional racism, such as the health care system, foster care system or the US justice system, that can lead to increased inequities and the risk of homelessness
- Developing, conducting, and evaluating health-related, community-engaged research focused on promoting health equity
- Systems collaborations (e.g. with community organizations) and cross-cultural interactions of people working together to fill care gaps
- Advancing public policies that expand access to comprehensive health care, addresses structural racism, promote affordable/supportive housing, reduce barriers to services, and other key elements to address social injustices that can prevent and end homelessness
Conference Tracks
Each proposal should address one of the four conference tracks:
- Clinical and Hands-On Care
- Administration
- Research
- Policy and Advocacy
After reviewing the detailed track descriptions, please choose the track most appropriate for your proposal’s content; you may also choose a secondary track if necessary.
Educational Session Formats
To accommodate different learning and teaching styles, proposals may utilize the following formats, described more fully below:
- 30-Minute Oral Presentations
- 60-Minute Facilitated Discussions
- 90-Minute Workshops
- Poster Presentations
30-Minute Oral Presentations
An oral presentation is a 30-minute presentation that describes a research project, program, best practices, or innovative tool or approach to a topic. Individual submissions will be grouped with others that reflect a common theme. Presenters submitting proposals for this type of session may include slide presentations, brief videos, group exercises, and/or focused discussions on a particular topic.
- Presenter Maximum: one (1)
- Registration Discount: one (1) Main Conference registration discount codes
60-Minute Facilitated Discussions
A Facilitated Discussion is a 60-minute session for those who are interested in leading a discussion around an emerging issue or a key question for the HCH community. The topic described by the presenter will frame the entire 60-minute discussion, exploring the topic in depth and seeking innovative strategies or examples to address it with the group in a collaborative manner. The person submitting the proposal has the responsibility of facilitating the discussion through questions, prompts, and small groups with a goal of building community among diverse participants from different types of organizations, helping participants network and learn best practices from their peers. The Facilitated Discussion should be mostly discussion with very little time devoted to presentation.
- Presenter Maximum: two (2)
- Registration Discount: two (2) $150 Main Conference registration discount codes
90-Minute Workshops
A 90-minute workshop is an oral presentation which provides an in-depth exploration of a program innovation, emerging issue, clinical challenge, or findings from a research project or quality improvement initiative. Presentations may include slide presentations, group exercises, and clinical case studies. Attention to administrative and policy aspects of clinical topics is strongly encouraged. Creative formats outside of traditional lecture/Q&A patterns are welcomed.
- Presenter Maximum: three (3)
- Registration Discount: three (3) $150 Main Conference registration discount codes
Poster Presentations
Posters offer a succinct view of programs and practices, policy issues, or research analysis. Posters will be presented during the Welcome Reception on May 16, 2018, during an official poster and networking reception. Posters will remain available for viewing throughout the conference during breaks; presenters should be with the poster during these scheduled viewings. Specific guidelines for printing the poster will be provided upon acceptance.
- Presenter Maximum: one (1)
- Registration Discount: one (1) $150 Main Conference registration discount code
Commercial Content
The educational content of this event is eligible for Continuing Medical Education Level 1 credits (applicable for most licensed health professionals) through the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. As such, no demonstration or endorsement of commercial products is permissible in educational sessions.
Proposal Review Process
Reviewers will be volunteers from the National HCH Council’s standing committees. They will score all proposals according to criteria established for each track. Review criteria is below:
- “Working Together”: Sessions should reflect work that is collaborative, is interdisciplinary, or involves HCH consumers.
- “for Justice”: Sessions should be reflective of the “Justice” theme as described in the call for proposals
- Relevance: Sessions should address significant, current issues affecting HCH consumers, HCH practice, and public policy.
- Evidence: For clarity, session proposals should clearly indicate whether practices to be discussed are evidence-based, promising, or innovative.
- Replicability: Sessions should describe activities/approaches that can be replicated in other HCH, medical respite, supportive housing, or homeless service provider settings.
- Policy Impact: Sessions should identify and address a topic’s implications for public policy and agency policies.
- Clarity: Overall, proposals should be well structured, coherent, and easy to understand.
- Format: Proposal should reflect the expectations of the submitted session format (workshop, facilitated discussion, oral presentation, etc.)
The review process is blinded; presenter information, affiliations, and identifying information will not be shared with reviewers. Please refrain from including identifying information in the Proposal Description.
The Council reserves the right to recommend changes in the track or focus/content of a proposed educational session or may combine related proposals into one session. On your submission, you will be asked to indicate your willingness to combine. Proposers will be consulted in such cases. The Council will not recommend changes to session format, other than recommending an Oral Presentation as a Poster (or vice versa).
Please submit your proposal in one session format and track only. The Council maintains a no duplication policy with regards to submissions. If a duplicated submission is found in more than one session format or more than one track, the Council reserves the right to withdraw both submissions from review.
Consumer Participation
The Council recognizes and supports the critical role that consumers play in defining, measuring, and working together for access. We strongly encourage proposals that meaningfully include consumers in the development of educational content and/or the delivery of the presentation. Council staff and members are available to assist consumers in developing proposals. For more information, please contact Consumer Advocate, Katherine Cavanaugh.
We encourage agencies to support the travel costs of consumer presenters whose workshops are accepted. Consumer presenters may also apply for a limited number of consumer travel stipends, details of which will be announced in early 2019.
Equipment, Slides, Handouts, & Staffing
For each educational session, the following will be provided:
- A laptop computer with sound connected to speakers
- LCD projector and screen
- Microphone (podium and wired)
- Speakers
No additional equipment (such as flip charts) will be provided.
For Main Conference sessions, all rooms will be set up with podium, head table, and chairs.
Presenters may provide hard copies of handouts if necessary; the National HCH Council will not provide or duplicate written materials. We do ask that slide presentations and any supplementary materials be provided in electronic form for posting on the conference website and mobile app. Slides or other materials must not include clip art or images obtained on the internet and potentially subject to copyright protection.
Each session will have a room monitor to assist with technical issues, physical comfort, handouts, and evaluations.
Registration Rates for Presenters
If your proposal is accepted, only conference registration codes will be provided:
- Workshops: $150 Main Conference discount for THREE (3) presenters
- Facilitated Discussion: $150 Main Conference discount for TWO (2) presenters
- Oral Presentations and Poster: $150 Main Conference discount for ONE (1) presenter
Travel, accommodations, and meals not provided at the conference are the responsibility of the speaker or organization, not the Council. Speaker fees are not available.
Proposal Submission Process
Proposals must be submitted online by 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Monday, October 29, 2018.
Review Committee decisions will be communicated in December 2018. Submissions were taken via an online form, and a copy of the full form for all sessions was available to assist with proposal development.
If you have any questions about the proposal and review processes, please email Cecilia Teichert, Training Coordinator at cteichert@nhchc.org or call (615) 226-2292 ext. 241.