Health and hygiene training for city-funded shelter staff: A pilot program

Recent reports by the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness and the local Shelter Monitoring Committee have questioned whether health and hygiene conditions in all thirteen government-funded homeless shelters in San Francisco negatively impact the health and well-being of the 1165 nightly resident and estimated 290 staff members. In response to these assertions, the Department of Public Health's Tom Waddell Health Center received one time funding to conduct a pilot “Shelter Health Training” program at two city-funded shelters focusing on hand hygiene and standard precautions training for shelter staff. The training program applied Social Learning Theory and Adult Learning Theory, and involved a series of didactic, hands-on learning, and participatory trainings for staff. Additionally, supplies (including hand sanitizer, gloves, and gowns) were purchased and distributed to the shelters to aid in successful implementation of the training material. Following the pilot training sessions, outcomes were measured, including knowledge, behavioral and attitudinal change. The pilot program was in part successful because of the integration of multiple government agencies, shelter directors and staff, as well as advocacy groups. The concrete achievement of the Shelter Health Training pilot program has furthermore been used as a foundation to leverage support for a city-wide Shelter Health Program.