In spring 2020, the LA County Department of Health mobilized resources to ameliorate the devastation of the public health crisis on the region’s most vulnerable population: people experiencing homelessness. Makeshift QI sites were set up at various locations, including then-vacant hotels and motels. 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.

Presented by the Los Angeles Poverty Department, the Welcome to the Covid Hotel exhibition reveals the exceptional innovations and successes of a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals who ran LA County Health Department’s emergency Quarantine and Isolation (QI) sites for houseless Covid patients and people exposed to the virus in shelters.

Panel Discussions

• Panel 1: Adversity Genrates Innovation with Dr. Jennifer Sudarsky, M.D., Medical Director of the QI sites from April 2021 until June 2022; Marrisa Axelrod, RN, Cancer and Wellness Coach, one of the first staff at the QI site; Dr. Emily Thomas, Star Clinic Medical Director, Housing for Health; and Soma Snakeoil, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Sidewalk Project.
• Panel 2: Housing is Healthcare (Part 1) with Heidi Behforouz, Chief Medical Officer, Housing For Health; Angi Enriquez, RN, PHN, Permanent Supportive Housing Supervisor; and Steve Diaz, Skid Row activist.
• Panel 3: Housing is Healthcare (Part 2) with LA County’s Quarantine and Isolation (QI) site staff, Tina Jaurez, mental health clinician (Department of Mental Health), Bianca Martinez, social worker (First to Serve). Joining them in conversation is Molly Rysman, Housing for Health (LA County Department of Health Services), who is a principle in envisioning and realizing the Skid Row Community Action Plan.