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 Because Health Care is a Right, Not a Privilege |
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| Homeless Children and Youth DATABASE TOOLS TO ASSESS CHILD TRAUMA The SAMHSA-funded National Child Traumatic Stress Network has prepared and released a free online searchable database that provides clinicians and researchers with in-depth information to enable them to choose the best instrument to assess children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. The Measures Review Database fills an important gap in the field. Its purpose is to promote the use of state-of-the-art measures for improved clinical intervention and research on child trauma. HEALING KIDS The HCH Clinicians' Network produces Healing Kids, an e-newsletter that highlights resources, news and events for those who work with homeless children and adolescents. Past issues are archived on this website, and a Healing Kids' subscription is just one of the benefits of belonging to the Network.  GOT MILK?Got Milk? Responding to Pediatric Dental Injuries of Homeless Children is one in a series of Health Care Case Reports developed by the HCH Clinicians' Network in an effort to share practice-based experience. HOMELESS CHILDREN: What Every Health Care Provider Should Know "Homeless Children: What Every Health Care Provider Should Know" is a PowerPoint presentation developed by Catherine Karr, MD, in collaboration with the HCH Clinicians' Network Pediatric Work Group. You may view the presentation online or download it no cost for use in your own presentations to medical residents, policy makers, new homeless providers and others. The goals of the presentations are to help viewers recognize homelessness and the risks of homelessness in families with children; to understand specific health problems of homeless children; to modify health care plans and prevention strategies appropriately; and to be able to find resources for homeless patients and their families. POLICY STATEMENT ON HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH  Annually the National Health Care for the Homeless Council Policy Committee develops Policy Statements on a number of homeless-specific issues. The 2007 statements describe an advocacy agenda for ending homelessness by assuring basic human rights, including the rights to health care and housing. The HCH Clinicians' Network Pediatric Work Group collaborated with the Policy Committee to develop a statement on Child and Youth Homelessness. ASK THE EXPERT "Ask the Expert" is a service of the HCH Clinicians' Network intended to be a resource for clinicians who work with people experiencing homelessness. In this column, our experts Ann Petru, MD, and Cheryl Zlotnick, DrPH, answer Network members' questions about pediatric HIV/AIDS and educating homeless children. 2003. HEALING HANDS ARTICLES ON HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH
TREATMENT AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN WITH OTITIS MEDIA Clinicians who provide primary care to people who are homeless or at  risk of homelessness routinely adapt their medical practice to foster better outcomes for these patients. Standard clinical practice guidelines often fail to take into consideration the unique challenges faced by homeless patients that may limit their ability to adhere to a plan of care. Recognizing the gap between standard clinical guidelines and clinical practices used by health care providers experienced in the care of homeless individuals, the HCH Clinicians' Network developed a series of treatment recommendations called Adapting Your Practice. Adapting Your Practice: Treatment & Recommendations for Homeless Children with Otitis Media is one of the publications produced as part of this series. These special recommendations, which reflect HCH clinicians' collective experience in serving homeless children, address treatment and prevention of ear infections in children who lack residential stability. HOMELESS YOUNG ADULTS AGES 18 - 24: EXAMINING SERVICE DELIVERY ADAPTATIONS Young adults (ages 18 - 24) are especially vulnerable to homelessness. The estimated numbers of young adults who experience an episode of homelessness each year range from approximately 750,000 to two million, and are believed to be increasing; families as well as individuals are affected. To articulate and address some of the urgent issues facing these young adults, six seasoned clinicians and researchers working with displaced youth collaborated with National Health Care for the Homeless Council staff in developing this report. Homeless Young Adults Ages 18-24: Examining Service Delivery Adaptations is organized around four main topics: health care, housing, education and employment, and social support. Testimonials from homeless assistance providers and their clients and examples of recommended interventions are interspersed with program descriptions and proposed strategies, and a list of resources, including references that illustrate the issues described, is appended. TEEN SUICIDE PREVENTION A 30-minute educational DVD, "Eternal High" is produced by a student who captured his true-life battle with depression and suicide. It includes a short film made while unaware he was clinically depressed followed by a speech to his school after receiving treatment. The speech discusses his experience with depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, self-injury, self-medicating substance abuse, and his treatment. Members of the HCH Clinicians' Network Pediatric Work Group previewed the DVD in June 2007. They found it powerful, with a few shortcomings, but overall worthwhile. Our clinicians thought that many homeless teens may not identify with the middle-class white teen and his problems shown in the first part of the film, but they agree that the second part will resonate with homeless youth. "Eternal High" is distributed by Aquarius Health Care Media; phone: 888 440-2963. 2006 YOUTH HOMELESSNESS Youth homelessness is disturbingly common. Although the prevalence of youth homelessness is difficult to measure, researchers estimate that about 5 to 7.7 percent of youth experience homelessness. With at least one million youth on the streets and in shelter-and thousands more leaving juvenile justice, mental health facilities and foster care systems-the problem of youth homelessness continues to grow. Everyone finds transitioning to adulthood difficult, but homeless adolescents have even greater obstacles to overcome. Stable housing linked with services are critical to helping homeless youth transition to adulthood. The National Alliance to End Homelessness, Policy Focus Area on Youth, has many resources including:
ADDITIONAL ONLINE RESOURCES
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