Monday, January 20, 2003

Homeless Management Information Systems Implementation Guide
Adobe Acrobat version of the guide to systems for collecting Congressionally mandated data on the homeless - "Homeless Information Management Systems (HMIS). An HMIS is a relatively new concept that communities can use to collect ongoing data on people who are homeless who use service programs. Many communities lack a consistent means to identify service needs, barriers to accessing services, and program-, region-, and system-wide results. Now, using longitudinal data, communities can track service and demand trends. These data are critical to accurately calculate the size and needs of the homeless population as well as the outcomes of specific interventions and programs. Policymakers, agency directors, homeless program consumers, and advocates require this information for service and systems planning and advocacy. The HMIS Implementation Guide provides communities with valuable direction and technical assistance resources on strategies to collect information on people who are homeless."  
  

Feeling squeezed: New state drug copay said to pose special risk for mentally ill (Massachusetts)
Boston Globe story on the new $2 copayment (raised from a 50-cent surcharge) mandated by law and affecting nearly every Medicaid patient in the state who takes prescription drugs- "...for severely mentally ill people ..., providers warn, the new charge has special risks. It creates another obstacle for a group of people who already have trouble staying on their medications - and who can become suicidal or violent if they stop taking them."