Tools for Homeless Service Providers

  • Workshop on Tuberculosis (TB) and Homelessness: Infection-Control Measures in Homeless Shelters and Other Overnight Facilities that Provide Shelter -- Summary
    (2018, Division of TB Elimination, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    39-page report that summarizes the results of a 2015 workshop on TB and homelessness. Public health officials, staff from homeless facilities, and other stakeholders explored strategies for implementing infection control measures in facilities providing services to homeless persons and to highlight resources available to prevent and reduce homelessness.
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  • TB Control in Overnight Homeless Facilities Quick Reference Guide
    (2015, Division of TB Elimination, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    Web page with information and resources on administrative controls -- the management measures designed to reduce the risk for exposure to persons with infectious TB.
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  • TB Prevention & Control for Homeless Shelters
    (Updated 2015, Iowa Department of Health, Bureaus of Immunizations and TB)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    This web page gives a quick overview of TB control measures that can be implemented in a shelter setting, including information TB risk assessment and testing for staff and clients.
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  • Guidelines for Tuberculosis (TB) Control and Prevention in Homeless Housing Facilities
    (2014, Georgia Department of Public Health)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    The Georgia Department of Public Health issued these guidelines in 2014 to help shelters prevent the transmission of TB among staff, volunteers and homeless clients and to prevent TB outbreaks in homeless housing facilities. This document can be adapted in part or in full for a variety of shelter and congregate living sites.
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  • Preventing Tuberculosis in Homeless Shelters: A Guide for Preventing and Controlling TB and other Aerosol Transmissible Diseases in Los Angeles County Facilities
    (2013, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Tuberculosis Control Program)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    These recommendations to help homeless service providers prepare their facility, staff, and clients for possible cases of aerosol transmissible diseases, like tuberculosis were created by LA County TB Control in response to an outbreak among people experiencing homelessness. They’re meant to help homeless service providers to prepare their facility, staff, and clients for possible cases of aerosol transmissible diseases, also known as ATDs. These recommendations can be adapted in part or in full for any area with a shelter system for people experiencing homelessness.
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  • TB Screening in the Homeless shelter Setting
    (2012, Santa Barbara County Public Health Department)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    This policy document assists shelter staff working with their local public health department to identify clients who may have LTBI or active disease, implement basic infection control measures to prevent the spread of TB to others, refer clients for clinical assessment and treatment, and assist shelter staff in clearing clients to enter and remain in the shelter setting.
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  • Preventing Aerosol Transmissible Disease: A Reference Guide for Homeless Shelters and Residential Treatment Facilities
    (2011, San Francisco Department of Public Health)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    This guide is to be used by homeless service providers to assist in preparing their facility, staff, and clients for possible cases of aerosol transmissible diseases — infectious diseases like influenza or tuberculosis that spread through the air. This is a manual, not an official policy, but can be used with HSA’s ATD Program to adopt policies for your facility. These recommendations should help you prevent exposure to ATD, respond to exposure incidents, and protect your staff.
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  • Social Distancing and Isolation Protocols
    (2011, San Francisco Department of Public Health)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    This 3-page document (excerpted from SFDPH’s Preventing Aerosol Transmissible Disease : A Reference Guide for Homeless Shelters and Residential Treatment Facilities) contains information for shelter directors and shelter staff regarding social distancing and isolation as ways to minimize the spread of certain infectious diseases to others.
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  • Tuberculosis Infection Control: A Practical Manual for Preventing TB
    (2011, Curry International Tuberculosis Center)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    The Tuberculosis Infection Control Manual is designed to provide information about TB infection control to clinics, homeless shelters, hospitals, and other interested parties. The goal of this manual is to provide consistent and up-to-date information about the guidelines and regulations pertaining to TB infection control, methods of reducing the risk of TB infection, and facility-specific guidelines for reducing the risk and dealing with potential TB exposure.
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  • Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Guidelines for Homeless Service Agencies in Seattle-King County, Washington
    (2010, Seattle-King County Homelessness & Tuberculosis Coalition)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    This document, created for for emergency shelters, day centers, safe havens, supportive housing programs, SROs, and other programs that work with people experiencing homelessness in King County, Washington, provides information about TB and promotes a standard set of guidelines designed to reduce the ongoing transmission of TB among homeless people in Seattle-King County. These guidelines are written for program directors, managers, and staff, and they apply to organizations providing services for men, women, families with children, and unattached youth. It can be adapted for any area experiencing TB in its homeless population.
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  • Cough Alert Policy for Shelters
    (2009, Santa Barbara County Public Health Department)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    Shelter staff can play an important role in communicable disease detection and prevention. These cough alert policies can help staff identify symptoms indicative of TB disease.
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  • Enhanced Homeless TB control
    (2009, Santa Barbara County Public Health Department)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    This policy document outlines an enhanced comprehensive case management plan that offers people experiencing homelessness an opportunity to complete an LTBI treatment regimen (and/or be closely monitored by Public Health staff) in an effort to prevent future outbreaks of TB.
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  • Environmental Control Best Practices: Guidelines to Reduce TB Transmission in Homeless Shelters and Drop-In Centres
    (2007, Toronto Public Health)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    This document is meant to be used as a reference manual and is divided into two parts – environmental control guidelines and implementation guide. The best practice guidelines recommend minimum ventilation and air disinfection targets to reduce TB transmission. It also prioritizes environmental measures for high-risk areas such as dormitories and dining areas.
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  • Cough Alert Policy And Procedures For Shelters & Resource Centers
    (2005 San Francisco Department of Public health)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    This cough alert policy was developed by San Francisco Department of Public Health to protect shelter and resource center clients and staff from airborne transmissible diseases. Shelter staff play a key role in detecting communicable diseases because of their familiarity with the clientele and facilities. This policy can be implemented by facility staff working closely with clients or monitoring the sleeping rooms at night. This form can be posted or distributed to shelter staff.
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  • TB Infection Control Guidelines for Homeless Shelters
    (2005, San Francisco Department of Public Health)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    The purpose of the Tuberculosis (TB) Infection Control Guidelines for Homeless Shelters is to provide the management and staff who work at homeless shelters with the tools for making appropriate decisions about persons seeking shelter at homeless facilities who may have tuberculosis. These guidelines will help to ensure that people seeking services from homeless shelters are not excluded from these services because of infectious disease concerns, but are directed into the appropriate health care delivery system with minimal risks to shelter staff. It can be adapted in part or in full for any area with a shelter system for people experiencing homelessness. This document is currently being updated by SFDPH and the newer version will be posted here when complete.
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  • Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Recommendations
    (2005, Maine Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Health, Division of Disease Control)
    GUIDELINES / RECOMMENDATIONS
    These recommendations were created by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to help homeless service providers prepare their facility, staff, and clients for possible cases of aerosol transmissible diseases, like tuberculosis.
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