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Thoughts on Three Years of NIMRC

By Bobby Watts, NHCHC CEO and Director of NIMRC The National Institute for Medical Respite Care (NIMRC) was born three years ago near the beginning of the COVID pandemic, a year ahead of the timeline in the National Health Care for the Homeless Council’s strategic plan. The reason for the early start was that we knew that medical respite was an important part of the answer to the question that many localities and states were asking: How can we protect the health of our homeless neighbors in a global pandemic? That is what medical respite programs had been doing for more than 30 years throughout our nation’s shameful homelessness epidemic. We knew that needed to elevate the deep experience and expertise of the Respite Care Providers’ Network at that time of great need where lives were hanging in the balance. So, we established NIMRC on July 15, 2020. In the past three years, this special initiative of the Council has taken steps beyond what we could have expected. Thanks to the guidance of an initial Advisory Panel, the ongoing and continual guidance of the Respite Care Providers’ Network, and generous foundation and corporate partners, we have been able to re-grant more than $6.5 million and combine those funds with customized technical assistance to help more than 50 medical respite programs begin, expand, and/or improve their services and physical facilities.  Our goal is simple, but powerful: to expand and advance the practice of medical respite programs throughout the country. We have been invited to give guidance to states that are considering… Read More »Thoughts on Three Years of NIMRC

NIMRC Marks Three Years of Leadership in Medical Respite Care

The National Institute of Medical Respite Care launched on July 15, 2020, as a special initiative of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council.   Established to advance best practices, deliver expert consulting services, and disseminate state-of-field knowledge in medical respite care, NIMRC has in three years regranted $6.5 million to 54 unique medical respite programs in the United States. The NIMRC team has also handled 153 requests for consultation or technical access from medical respite programs across the country.  Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll celebrate NIMRC’s third birthday by getting to know the NIMRC team a little better, taking a look at how medical respite programs in the U.S. have changed over the past three years, and looking forward to the future of medical respite care.  Be sure to follow us on social media to stay on top of the latest NIMRC news!  What Is Medical Respite Care?  Medical respite care (MRC), also referred to as recuperative care, is acute and post-acute care for people experiencing homelessness who are too ill or frail to recover from an illness or injury on the streets or in a shelter, but who do not need to be in the hospital. MRC programs offer short-term residential care that allows individuals experiencing homelessness the opportunity to rest, recover, and heal in a safe environment while accessing medical care and other supportive services.  The field of MRC continues to grow and evolve as communities across the U.S. increasingly recognize the value of this essential service.   Want to learn more about medical… Read More »NIMRC Marks Three Years of Leadership in Medical Respite Care