FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:Andrea Slater
310-567-7780
[email protected]
UC CAMPUSES TO BRING HEALTHCARE TO THE HOMELESS
Five University Of California Campuses Form Community Coalitions to Provide Mobile Healthcare Units Across the State.
Los Angeles, CA December 10, 2013 – UC Presidents announced today that in order to expand healthcare access to the homeless and meet the mission of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the campuses located at Davis, Irvine, Riverside, San Diego and San Francisco will be providing mobile units equipped to provide basic medical care services to the indigent homeless populations within their service areas. This program is expected to save the State $489,000 in emergency room costs alone over the first year helping reduce the costs to tax payers while providing needed services to a vulnerable state population.
“When the homeless rely on the ER as their primary source of health care, they force hospitals to pick up the tab, raising the cost of health care, and increasing wait times for everyone.”
The new coalition builds on the established program at the UCLA medical school. The five new mobile healthcare programs will provide medical services that include physical exams, HIV/STD testing, mental health services and referrals to other social, legal and medical agencies as needed. A critical component of the intake process will be to assess each patient’s eligibility for health insurance under the ACA and the expanded Medi-Cal Coverage.
This program although based at the university medical schools is heavily dependent on the staffing resources provided by students at the undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. Students in the medical, public health, legal and social work programs are able to gain valuable experience while donating their time to clinics under the direction of certified practitioners . Community organizations that focus on mental health, homeless advocacy and legal issues have joined forces with the UC campuses to ensure the homeless population is adequately served.
Funding for the program is provided by a combination of private donations and renewable public and private grants that include the California for Wellness Foundation and the US. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
More information is available at mobileclinics.weebly.com
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