Advocacy

Advocacy at SGIM24

In advance of the SGIM 2023 Annual Meeting: Meeting the Promise of Tomorrow in Aurora, Colorado, we are partnering with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless to meet the promise of tomorrow through advocacy at the intersection of housing and health. The Coalition is a leading provider of housing and integrated healthcare services working collaboratively to create lasting solutions for individuals and families throughout Colorado who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness.

The Coalition has been working at the intersection of housing and healthcare for nearly 40 years. They currently operate 21 housing properties and provide wraparound case management services for residents. The Coalition also is a Federally Qualified Health Center, including a flagship location, the Stout Street Health Center — a one-stop-shop for health services, behavioral health, dental, eyecare, pharmacy, lab work, and more. Additional CCH health centers are located onsite at housing properties and the Coalition also hosts a travel health outreach RV with exam rooms onboard, as well as the 48th Avenue Health Center, which is located onsite at a 24/7 shelter run by a partner organization.  

The Coalition is also a key partner of the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Opportunity Starts at Home campaign. This multi-sector coalition works to generate widespread support for local, state, and federal policies that correct long-standing racial inequities and economic injustices by ensuring quality housing for people with low incomes.  

Homelessness is a national issue—at least 580,000 individuals are experiencing homelessness across the United States, but experts believe the true number to be at least 3x higher than estimates indicate. Here in Colorado, the issue is particularly salient, as Colorado is one of the least affordable states in the nation. Studies show that the strongest indicator for homelessness is simply that there is not enough affordable housing, not individual choices or circumstances. This is one of many myths the Coalition seeks to counter.  

Here are some sessions and events related to this important topic:

May 16th

  • Interest Groups:
    • IG: (ITB16) (7:00am) Physicians Addressing Trauma
    • IG: (ITL05) (12:30pm) Health Justice and Incarceration Interest Group
  • Workshops and Symposia
    • WF02: (1:30pm) Firearm Safety – A Clinical Skills Workshop SSD: (10:15am) More Than Just Talk:  Advancing Health Equity Through Policy Change and Practice
    • WF03: (1:30pm) Building Advocacy Curricula for Internal Medicine Trainees
    • SSH2: (4:00pm) Advocate for Health Policy in Your State: With Whom, to Whom and How?

May 17th

  • Interest groups:
    • IG: (IFL14) (12:30pm) Harm Reduction Interest Group
    • IG: (IFB14) (7:00am) Health System and Policy Education Interest Group
    • IG: (IFL18) (12:30pm) Social Policy and Health Interest Group
  • Workshops and Symposia:
    • WK05: (10:15am) Increasing Clinicians’ Firearm-Specific Cultural Competency to Enhance Lethal Means Safety Counseling
    • WM05: (1:30pm) Using Your Voice – Advocacy as a Tool for Social Justice
    • WN02: (2:45pm) Climbing the Hill – Empowering Physicians to Participate in Legislative Advocacy

May 18th

  • Plenary Session: (9:15am) Trauma-Informed Clinical Approaches to the Care of Firearm Injury Victims and Families

Posters 

Poster Session 1 (Wednesday, 5/15, 5:30 – 7:00 PM)

  • Social Determinants of Health & Community Engagement in Training: A Human Centered Design Lens to Advocacy for Primary Care Residents (4050304)

Poster Session 2 (Thursday 5/16, 10:00 – 11:30AM)

  • It’s in Our Lane: Preparing Internal Medicine Residence for Roles as Clinicians and Policy Advocates for Firearm Injury Prevention (4035103)
  • An analysis of the role of school nurses in gun violence prevention (4063600)
  • Health insurance instability following firearm injury (4064337)
  • Preparing Students for Trauma-Informed Care: A Workshop on Communication Skills Training Using Simulation (4064456)

Poster Session 3 (Thursday 5/16, 5:00 – 6:30 PM)

  • Partnered Evaluation of a Lethal Mean Safety Campaign for Suicide Prevention in Veterans (4026271)

Poster Session 4 (Friday 5/17, 10:00 – 11:30AM)

  • Social Determinants in Health in Post-Gunshot Wound Care: Insights and Implications from a Level One Trauma Centered Patient Cohort (4062442)

Poster Session 6 (Saturday 5/18, 7:00 – 8:30 AM)

  • Knowledge, attitudes, and practice of trauma-informed care and childhood positive and adverse experiences among medical students and clinical instructors at UNC School of Medicine (4063405)