United Homeless Healthcare Partners Presents Summit on Homeless Health Care

Business Wire, Nov 5, 2007

PASADENA, Calif. -- Taking an in-depth look at the health care needs of the homeless, United Homeless Healthcare Partners (UHHP) is bringing together providers from throughout Los Angeles County for a two-day conference on November 5 and 6, 2007. The conference is being held at The Center for Healthy Communities at The California Endowment, 1000 North Alameda Street, in Los Angeles.

Models of service delivery from not only local agencies, but also from Boston, San Francisco and Alameda County will be presented at the conference, along with discussions on how to build local community networks that address the healthcare needs of homeless residents in Los Angeles County.

Keynote speakers include John Lozier, Executive Director, National Healthcare of Homeless Council; Benjamin Chu, MD, President of Kaiser Permanente, Southern California; and Regina Mosley, a former recipient of homeless healthcare services.

Panelists that will address best practices in service delivery and how to integrate systems of care include: Mandy Johnson, Integrated Behavioral Health Project; Debbie Innes-Gomberg, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health; Mark Casanova and Kevin Kelley, Homeless Health Care Los Angeles; Jamila Edwards, California Primary Care Association; Barbara Frankel, Neighborhood Legal Services; Molly Rysman, Skid Row Housing Trust; Yolanda Vera, Los Angeles Health Action; Bryan Sauter, Los Angeles Mission Community Clinic; Joan Watson-Patko, Skid Row Homeless Healthcare Initiative; Paul Gregerson, MD, JWCH Institute; Wendy Georges, Alameda County Homeless Healthcare Program; Jill Roncarati, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program; Josh Bamburger, MD, San Francisco Department of Public Health; former Los Angeles Supervisor Edmund Edelman; Margot Kushel, MD, University of California at San Francisco; Tori Osborne, City of Los Angeles; Sheila Shima, Los Angeles County; and Karen Dalton, Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.

United Homeless Healthcare Partners is a network of homeless healthcare providers and advocates with membership of 25 agencies composed of homeless service providers, social service organizations, foundations, private health providers, professional associations, federal and county officials, and other interested stakeholders. UHHP is establishing for the first time in Los Angeles County a single voice for advocacy of policies to improve the health care of homeless individuals and families.