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New Mobile Medical Unit Is Taking to the Streets

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By Lexie Houghtaling

Change for healthcare in South Central Los Angeles is rolling in quickly- quite literally. St. John's Well Child and Family Center has released a new mobile medical unit that will serve as a health center for patients all throughout South Central Los Angeles. The mobile medical unit might be smaller than traditional health centers, but the assistance and care it provides to the community is making quite a statement.

St. John's Well Child and Family Center collaborated with Homeboy Industries, an organization that provides services to former gang members, to make the mobile medical unit possible. The unit is taking to the streets to care for individuals in South Central Los Angeles offering outreach, health education, insurance enrollments, and medical services. The unit will be available for use throughout the week in areas all around the South Central Los Angeles community.

Both St. John's and Homeboy Industries decided to work together in order to create change not only for everyday patients but also to patients located in gang territory. This will assist patients living near gang borders from struggling to see a doctor because they do not want to cross gang borders. Instead, the new unit will come directly to them.

The collaboration began when Homeboy Industries met Mary O'Dell of Unihealth Foundation. She came up with the idea and presented it to St. John's in an effort to address crucial health care needs in the community. O'Dell agreed that all expenses would be funded by Unihealth. St. John's made an agreement with O'Dell, resulting in the unit operating in the community.

Mary Ellen Burton, a Director at Homeboy Industries, emphasizes the importance of having healthcare available at all times for patients.

"Having it here where they don't have to go anywhere – it just means a great deal. It means the access is immediate and they don't have to get on public transportation, they don't have to get on a bus, they don't have to spend gas money to go see a doctor. These doctors are going to be here," Burton said.

Jessamy Carter, a resident in South Central Los Angeles, agrees that the area is not always safe, and the simple act of getting to the health center can be a challenge.

"I don't feel safe walking around the area. Even buses and bikes can be a threat given the large number of gangs in the area," Carter said.

The unit plans to alleviate the fears that people have of mobilizing around the community by coming straight to them to avoid danger.

"It is a smart idea. Especially for elders and children. It allows for them to receive the treatment they need without putting themselves in danger," Carter said.

The unit is taking every possible step to care for patients, including stops at elementary and middle schools in the at-risk population areas. Taking the unit directly to school campuses allows for healthcare to be provided to students in a safe environment.

Another significant issue the community faces is how to pay for healthcare. As the cost of health insurance continues to increase, many families are not able to afford healthcare. The medics working at the unit are going to educate people on how they can receive a health insurance plan that meets their needs.

"I am familiar with the struggles of our trainees and community members. The primary issue is health insurance. People do not have coverage to deal with smaller medical and dental issues for themselves and their children. Issues then become larger and cause significant problems that could have been avoided," Burton said.

St. John's and Homeboy Industries are taking a big step to enroll people who are eligible into public health insurance, and inform them on the options that they might be unaware of. Homeboy Industries acknowledges that even though some people in the community have access to sign up for insurance, sometimes the required co-payment is beyond their budget.

"The main goal of the new medical mobile unit is to provide medical treatment to individuals who do not have health insurance, assist them in finding health insurance that may be available to them and health education," Burton further confirms.

Jim Mangia, the President of St. John's, released a statement that said, "It's the responsibility of community health centers to bring health care to the community where it lives and breathes, works and worships. One of the key aspects of this is to really increase access to public health care services for folks in hard-to-reach and at-risk populations."

As for now, the unit continues to travel around the neighborhood each day, healing one person after another.

Click here for more information about St. John's Well Child and Family Center and Homeboy Industries.