An artist, gamer, and movie lover, Curtis McLaughlin (above) has been part of the Health Care for the Homeless Art Group for more than five years.
Art is one of my coping skills. I can be anywhere and create art wherever I go.
04.25.18
Thanks to the leadership of our National Council team, staff members visited Washington D.C. on April 18 to talk health care, housing and opioids with members of the Maryland delegation.
Staff members made an impressive amount of stops and visited with elected officials…
President and CEO Kevin Lindamood and Senior Director of Policy Barbara DiPietro discussed what we do as an agency—and where we do it. Regina Reed and Katherine Cavanaugh also gave some insight about the local and national work our team members do.
Danny Resnick, Molly Greenberg, Justine Wright, John Lane, Malcolm Williams, Marc Bowman and Ted Ramsay explained the ins and outs of their respective departments, giving delegates an idea of the reach and scope of our work.
“It was good to hear what our representatives are up to, how they can support us and how we can support them," said Ted.
But the biggest item on the agenda was opioids.
"We discussed the need for more recovery housing for folks leaving treatment, what recovery looks like and ideas around training physicians to be better able to treat patients' overall health and not just prescribe opioid medication," said Marc.
Client and advocate Desmond also shared his personal experience overcoming substance use.
Later that day, Representative Cummings and Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced the CARE Act—a bill that will provide $100 million in federal funding over the next decade to address the opioid crisis.
Thank you to everyone who participated—and special kudos to Barbara, Regina and Katherine for a successful and well-organized day!
An artist, gamer, and movie lover, Curtis McLaughlin (above) has been part of the Health Care for the Homeless Art Group for more than five years.
Art is one of my coping skills. I can be anywhere and create art wherever I go.
Client storytelling is a staple of the nonprofit business model, ever present in advocacy, clinic tours, fundraising—and news articles like the one you are reading right now.
The Trans Rights Advocacy Coalition (TRAC) has been the driving force in championing trans rights policy changes in Maryland. Due to stigma and structural discrimination, transgender people—particularly transgender people of color—experience high rates of homelessness. Following the implementation of the Trans Health Equity Act in January, we talked with TRAC leadership about their work and community.
Since starting in January 2022, REI Health Specialist Arie Hayre-Somuah, LMSW, MPH has worked with our clinical teams to identify health disparities and move us closer to health equity. This year, she is turning her focus to the topic of health literacy.