Los Angeles Poverty Department Presents New “Welcome to the Covid Hotel” Public Presentations and Conversations On Initiatives Aimed at Improving Healthcare for Homeless Populations
Los Angeles Poverty Department (LAPD) is pleased to announce two new panel discussions as part of its Skid Row History Museum & Archive exhibition “Welcome to the Covid Hotel.” The current artwork and programs by LAPD reveal the innovations and success stories of the multidisciplinary team of frontline healthcare workers who ran LA County’s emergency Quarantine and Isolation (QI) medical sites during the pandemic for people without a safe place to shelter. The innovations they deployed and lessons they learned propose promising solutions to urgent issues around homelessness and access to healthcare.
The public is welcome to attend the events at Skid Row History Museum & Archive, 250 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, 90012, moderated by Clancey Cornell, a clinical social worker and member of LAPD’s archive staff whose interviews are featured in the exhibition.
COVID CONFIDENTIAL – The Nuts and Bolts of Operating a QI Site and the Impact of It
Wednesday, October 16, 7 pm
This presentation by Eric Espinosa, former Director of the Quarantine and Isolation Medical Shelters, unpacks the logistical details of what’s required to run a recuperative healthcare site. Espinosa’s talk reveals the financial—cost saving!—realities and lessons learned from the QI program, and the ways the QI playbook is informing efforts to improve healthcare and provide housing for our community’s most vulnerable citizens.
GOING FORWARD – Best Practices from the Covid Medical Shelters Being Implemented Now
Tuesday October 22, 7 pm
This conversation spotlights programs that are taking new approaches to supportive housing and healthcare access. The panel features Dr. Shayan Rab, Associate Medical Director, LA County Department of Mental Health (DMH), who was dubbed “LA’s First Street Psychologist” by the LA Times. Dr. Rab will share his vision behind DMH’s Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement (HOME Team), which takes to the streets to reach people experiencing chronic unsheltered homelessness and who have profound mental health needs. Also featured is Victoria Onwualu, Director of Housing and Health Programs, Wesley Health Centers + JWCH Institute, who will talk about the JWCH Safe Landing Site program she oversees at the Cecil Hotel. And Gabriela Ramirez manager of the Interim Housing Outreach Program (IHOP).
LAPD’s “Welcome to the Covid Hotel” artwork and programs are inspired by events that began in spring 2020 when the LA County departments of health (DMH, DPH, and DHS) collaboratively mobilized resources to ameliorate the devastation of the public health crisis on people experiencing homelessness. Makeshift QI sites were set up at various locations, including then-vacant hotels and motels. Over a two-year span, more than 10,000 people quarantined at the sites. There were very few deaths, and once released, 93% of the patients needing housing were sheltered in nursing homes, recovery programs, and transitional programs leading to permanent housing—a remarkable rate. “Welcome to the Covid Hotel” unveils the unconventional approaches that engendered this success—holistic care coordinated among typically siloed practitioners, harm reduction, and housing first practices, along with an uncommon level of interpersonal care, steeped in empathy and compassion. The exhibition recreates elements of the facilities at a motel-turned-QI site and features interviews with staff telling how their work saved lives, transformed patient care, and got people housed.
The “Welcome to the Covid Hotel” exhibition is open to the public through December 14, Thursdays-Saturdays, 2-5 pm or by appointment, [email protected]. New LAPD performances and public programs are soon to be announced.
Project research materials and public activity documentation from “Welcome to the Covid Hotel” will be preserved and made publicly available in the museum’s archive. For information, contact [email protected].
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Welcome to the Covid Hotel project activities are made possible with support from City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs; John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; National Endowment for the Humanities; Institute of Museum and Library Services; and California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Los Angeles Poverty Department programs are supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, California Arts Council; California Humanities, The Kindle Project; Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; and Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. LA Poverty Department is a member of Los Angeles Visual Arts Coalition (LAVA) and Skid Row Arts Alliance.
CREDITS
Welcome to the Covid Hotel is curated by Malpede and Henriëtte Brouwers, LAPD Associate Director, with support from Dr. Sudarsky; design collaboration from Peter Gould, Alan Tollefson, and Young Mi Chi. Special thanks to the Institute of Contemporary Art ICA-LA and Amwest Ambulance.
ABOUT LOS ANGELES POVERTY DEPARTMENT
Los Angeles Poverty Department is a multi-disciplinary arts organization that produces and presents artworks and events that instantiate the existence of the Skid Row community—affirming its assets, advocating for its rights, and supporting its aspirations. LAPD projects interweave exhibitions, publications, theatrical performances, public conversations, and cultural events. Programs are developed, produced, and performed collaboratively with Skid Row community members. Founded in 1985 by John Malpede, LAPD was the first performance group in the nation made up principally of homeless people, and the first arts program of any kind for homeless people in Los Angeles.
SKID ROW HISTORY MUSEUM & ARCHIVE INFORMATION
Since 2015, LAPD has operated the Skid Row History Museum & Archive in downtown Los Angeles. In addition to being the primary venue for the presentation of LAPD artworks, the Museum partners with Skid Row organizations and individuals to provide free space for their civic and cultural activities. Our community archive houses 20,000+ items documenting the 50+ year history of activism and agency in Skid Row. Located at 250 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, 90012, the Museum is open to the public Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 2-5 pm and by appointment, [email protected]. Visit https://www.lapovertydept.org/ for more information. All are welcome. Admission is free.
