Community Service Programs meetings & conferences

International Street Medicine Symposium IX

October 24-26, 2013 Boston, Massachusetts

The Street Medicine Institute is excited to announce the 9th annual International Street Medicine Symposium, to be held in historic Boston, Massachusetts on October 24-26, 2013, with a special pre-symposium “Street Medicine 101” workshop on October 23rd for interested participants. The Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, widely regarded as one of the world’s largest and most effective homeless health care programs, has generously agreed to serve as a local sponsoring organization.

Learning Activities

The International Street Medicine Symposium is the world’s premiere educational event dedicated to the health care of unsheltered or “rough-sleeping” homeless populations. As always, the Symposium will offer a slate of homeless health care experts from around the globe presenting clinical topics, innovations, research outcomes, and best practices relevant to Street Medicine. The popular format mix of large-group lectures, small-group workshops, and poster presentations will be back again after positive reviews from last year’s Symposium. Additionally, there will be ample exposure to the talented clinicians and administrative staff of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program with scheduled site visits to the program’s renowned clinical facilities, including the Barbara McInnis House medical respite program. We hope to offer CME credits for eligible clinicians again this year.

Host City Spotlight

Street Medicine clinicians and administrators from around the world have long regarded the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program as a leader of the Street Medicine movement; many of the field’s most important research outcomes and clinical innovations have come from the talented clinicians and staff at BHCHP. The program’s extensive network of clinical services across the spectrum of homelessness and seamless integration into Boston’s world-class academic mental centers and health sciences educational institutions stands as an international model for comprehensive, continuous, and high-quality health care programming for persons experiencing homelessness.

In addition to its status as a homeless health care hub, Boston was chosen to host this year’s Symposium for its unrivaled combination of metropolitan beauty, history, international accessibility, and diversity. And there is no better time to visit Boston than late October, when the New England fall foliage season is at its spectacular peak!

Reconnect and Re-energize

As consistently reported by past participants, one of the most valuable experiences of the Symposium is the opportunity to interact with Street Medicine colleagues from across the country and around the world. Again this year, program activities will incorporate time to reconnect with old friends, make new contacts, and share stories of the triumphs and challenges of this important work. Participants will be inspired and re-energized as they renew a common commitment to improving the lives of their brothers and sisters living on the streets.

2013 National Lifespan Respite Conference

The Freedom Trail to Respite

October 15-17, 2013 Boston, Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Lifespan Respite Coalition, in collaboration with the ARCH National Respite Network, will host the 2013 National Lifespan Respite Conference in Boston, MA on October 15-17, 2013.  The theme for the conference is The Freedom Trail to Respite, reflecting the great historical backdrop of the beautiful city of Boston and acknowledging the significant role respite can play in providing improved quality of life for the nation's family caregivers.

Sickle Cell Disease Association of America 41st Annual Convention

September 24 – 27, 2013 Linthicum, Maryland

Since 1972, the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc. has served as America’s only voluntary national organization working full-time to resolve issues surrounding sickle cell disease. SCDAA is comprised of over 59 community based member organizations serving patients and their families in over 300 communities in North America. The 41st Annual Convention will be held on September 24 – 27, 2013 in Linthicum, MD.

International Homelessness Research Conference: Advancing the Policy and Practice of Crisis Response

Monday, June 3 - Tuesday, June 4, 2013 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania and the National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are organizing an international research conference on homelessness crisis response systems, focused on the themes of homelessness prevention and diversion, rapid re-housing, and effective approaches to emergency housing. The conference will also include plenary sessions on recent multinational studies of Housing First research demonstrations, and cost of homelessness studies. This event is underwritten by the Dana and Andrew Stone Chair in Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania and co-sponsored by the VA National Center on Homelessness among Veterans, the European Observatory on Homelessness, the Canadian Homelessness Research Network and the Australian Urban and Housing Research Institute.

The conference program will provide homelessness researchers with the opportunity to present research on theoretically significant models, best practices, evaluations, and related research.

Conference registration opens February 1, 2013

Conference registration deadline May 1, 2013