Mobile Health Clinic Ready to Roll

The map at Care for the Homeless is about to change.

Through a partnership with The Brooklyn Hospital Center, Care for the Homeless is giving new life to a Mobile Health Clinic, set to launch later this summer.  This program addresses two distinct and time-sensitive problems in NYC: meeting the health needs of homeless people and the need for greater disaster preparedness.

Thanks to a generous award from Direct Relief, the required renovations on the Care for the Homeless Mobile Health Clinic were completed ahead of schedule.

 
The Mobile Health Clinic is a cost-effective approach to disaster preparedness—it’s not waiting in storage when catastrophe strikes.  And, according to Executive Director Bobby Watts: “Who better to assist in a disaster than Care for the Homeless? Our everyday work, in many ways, resembles disaster treatment. We frequently serve patients who arrive in personal crisis, without identification or medical records. We’re grateful to Direct Relief for funding this project. It makes perfect sense that our teams should join first responders.”

In an emergency—large or small-scale disaster—the Care for the Homeless Mobile Health Clinic is not limited to serving homeless people.

The renovation of the interior took several weeks, while an overhaul of the generator and a mechanical upgrade took place. We added new tires, upgraded medical equipment and a new safety ladder. Inspected by the Federal Safety Motor Administration and the NYS Dept. of Motor Vehicles and Dept. of Health, the Mobile Health Clinic is set to launch later this summer.



“As soon as our application for licensure and certification is approved by the NYS Dept. of Health,” says Assistant Executive Director Debbian Fletcher-Blake, “we’re ready to roll.”

“The application is being expedited, as the State knows the need that Care for the Homeless is working to address,” Fletcher-Blake continues. “The NYS DOH is also placing our program onto the list of reliable providers for large-scale and community-scale disasters.”

The Mobile Health Clinic made its red carpet debut at our April 24th Health, Care and Hope Gala:





Initially, the Mobile Health Clinic will travel to two sites with high need and poor health outcomes in the South Bronx. Over 1,000 men, women and children sleep in homeless shelters in these targeted neighborhoods every night.



We thank Direct Relief, our generous Gala Sponsors and all the donors who support our mission for helping us launch this critical new program. Care for the Homeless plans to hold an open house in September, several weeks after the program has launched. Stay tuned for more details.

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