Executive Summary
Our aim is to bring mobile health clinics to each of the five University of California medical schools to help provide a cost-effective and compassionate
solution to the unavailability of sufficient health-care to the homeless. Mobile health clinics will deliver health care services directly to a population unable to access them on their own, potentially saving California hospitals tens of millions of dollars in the process.
The basis of our proposal is the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Mobile Clinic Project. Every week for the last 12 years, UCLA medical, law, and public health students work with volunteer doctors and social workers to deliver health care as well as social services and legal aid to the local West Hollywood homeless population. At the clinic, homeless persons have access to much needed primary care services, donations of food and clothing, and even legal assistance.
Equally important, UCLA mobile clinic volunteers provide services in a welcoming, non-judgmental environment conducive to building the type of long-term relationships needed to help this population. As mentioned, the homeless populations’ marginalized position in society and higher rate of mental illnesses often make them distrustful of public assistance. Overcoming the homeless population’s distrust can be a lengthy process that requires a dedicated staff. Through small exchanges of clothing, food and support, the UCLA mobile health clinic has worked to establish a relationship with a population that generally shuns public outreach efforts, also helping address a wide-range of needs that may act as barriers to accessing care.
Like the UCLA Project, each of the five U.C. mobile health clinics will be staffed by medical, law and public health students under the guidance of volunteer doctors and other staff. However, the U.C. Mobile Health Clinic Project will also work to enroll the homeless population in Medi-Cal, California’s public health insurance program.
On January 1st, the ACA will expand California’s Medi-Cal program to allow low-income adults without children to receive benefits, and the federal government will cover 100% of the cost of services for these new enrollees. The program will also provide new, enhanced benefits like free preventative care and mental health services. Many of those newly eligible for Medi-Cal will be the homeless. Thus, new federal funding to provide health-care to the homeless population will be available with the implementation of the ACA. However, what will still be lacking is one-on-one enrollment assistance and a delivery system to bring Medi-Cal services directly to the homeless population. U.C. mobile health clinics will be uniquely equipped to provide both assistance with enrollment and health care services to the homeless, which will increase the effectiveness of the ACA.
The U.C. Mobile Health Clinic project will create a coalition of students and local community organizations to help deliver much needed health-care services to the homeless. Collaboration with community organizations will help ensure mobile health clinics can draw upon existing resources to deliver services, thereby lowering clinic costs and helping connect the homeless population to shelters and other assistance whenever needed. Since clinic outreach will focus on enrollment in Medi-Cal, the clinics will also potentially benefit from federal funds to attract and pay volunteer doctors, further helping staff and budget needs. The potential for federal ACA funds and grants, coupled with community partnerships and a volunteer clinic staff will make the clinics a financially attractive endeavor in a state with high health-care costs.
Given that this project does not require changes to existing policy, is being implemented in a democratic state (thus one more receptive to homeless outreach and use of ACA funds), evidence showing the high rate of return on mobile health clinics, our proposal is politically feasible, a sound investment, and a smart way to connect the homeless to health care. Furthermore, the existence and success of the UCLA, and other California based, mobile health clinics provide further confidence in the success of this project.
The basis of our proposal is the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Mobile Clinic Project. Every week for the last 12 years, UCLA medical, law, and public health students work with volunteer doctors and social workers to deliver health care as well as social services and legal aid to the local West Hollywood homeless population. At the clinic, homeless persons have access to much needed primary care services, donations of food and clothing, and even legal assistance.
Equally important, UCLA mobile clinic volunteers provide services in a welcoming, non-judgmental environment conducive to building the type of long-term relationships needed to help this population. As mentioned, the homeless populations’ marginalized position in society and higher rate of mental illnesses often make them distrustful of public assistance. Overcoming the homeless population’s distrust can be a lengthy process that requires a dedicated staff. Through small exchanges of clothing, food and support, the UCLA mobile health clinic has worked to establish a relationship with a population that generally shuns public outreach efforts, also helping address a wide-range of needs that may act as barriers to accessing care.
Like the UCLA Project, each of the five U.C. mobile health clinics will be staffed by medical, law and public health students under the guidance of volunteer doctors and other staff. However, the U.C. Mobile Health Clinic Project will also work to enroll the homeless population in Medi-Cal, California’s public health insurance program.
On January 1st, the ACA will expand California’s Medi-Cal program to allow low-income adults without children to receive benefits, and the federal government will cover 100% of the cost of services for these new enrollees. The program will also provide new, enhanced benefits like free preventative care and mental health services. Many of those newly eligible for Medi-Cal will be the homeless. Thus, new federal funding to provide health-care to the homeless population will be available with the implementation of the ACA. However, what will still be lacking is one-on-one enrollment assistance and a delivery system to bring Medi-Cal services directly to the homeless population. U.C. mobile health clinics will be uniquely equipped to provide both assistance with enrollment and health care services to the homeless, which will increase the effectiveness of the ACA.
The U.C. Mobile Health Clinic project will create a coalition of students and local community organizations to help deliver much needed health-care services to the homeless. Collaboration with community organizations will help ensure mobile health clinics can draw upon existing resources to deliver services, thereby lowering clinic costs and helping connect the homeless population to shelters and other assistance whenever needed. Since clinic outreach will focus on enrollment in Medi-Cal, the clinics will also potentially benefit from federal funds to attract and pay volunteer doctors, further helping staff and budget needs. The potential for federal ACA funds and grants, coupled with community partnerships and a volunteer clinic staff will make the clinics a financially attractive endeavor in a state with high health-care costs.
Given that this project does not require changes to existing policy, is being implemented in a democratic state (thus one more receptive to homeless outreach and use of ACA funds), evidence showing the high rate of return on mobile health clinics, our proposal is politically feasible, a sound investment, and a smart way to connect the homeless to health care. Furthermore, the existence and success of the UCLA, and other California based, mobile health clinics provide further confidence in the success of this project.