| Name | Wendy |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Winters |
| Home Address | 5943 Amber Valley Lane Chattanooga, TN 37343 United States |
| Organization Name | Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coaltion |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | Executive Director |
| Organization Address | Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition 600 N Holtzclaw Ave Chattanooga, TN 37404 United States |
| Website | https://homelesscoalition.org |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 423-710-1503 |
| Alternate Phone Number | |
| Email Address | Wwinters@homelesscoalition.org |
| Alternate Email Address | msmith@homelesscoalition.org |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | Homelessness has reached chronic levels due to a lack of adequate and affordable housing stock. This lack of affordable housing has increased poor health conditions for our chronically homeless population. Often those who are homelessness experience barriers preventing them from getting the care and assistance needed. Those barriers include and are not limited to lack of insurance preventing access to traditional brick and mortar healthcare facilities, location of healthcare facilities, and transportation. A mobile medical and social services clinic would provide an efficient manner of delivering healthcare and social services to at risk populations in our community. It would be the mission of the Mobile Medical program to build relationships with people experiencing homelessness by meeting our most vulnerable where they are through patient-led health and social services thereby fostering improved health and well-being. A healthier homeless community fosters a healthier community for all people. The addition of a mobile medical and social services clinic would be a positive step towards integrating our homeless back into society. Mobile medical and social services clinics are vehicles customized with medical equipment and staffed to provide health/social services for at risk populations. The types of services provided could include Primary Care/Preventive, Mental Health, and Social Services. The mobile healthcare and social services clinic is a sound and low-cost economic complement to traditional brick and mortar healthcare facilities to help fill the healthcare access gap. Mobile medical programs are a direct response to addressing health inequity created by barriers to care. The cost per patient visit for mobile clinic service types is considerably less than traditional brick and mortar healthcare facilities. They are a logical solution to our unified goals of elevating quality of life not only for our most vulnerable but for our population as a whole. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | Poverty and homelessness presents unique and often insurmountable barriers to self-care preventing easy access to health and social services which contributes to declining health. Poverty and homelessness drastically increases exposure to COVID, and other communicable diseases and parasites which spread quickly leading to serious and even life-threatening systemic infections. Incorporating a Mobile Medical and Social Services unit responding to public health emergencies compounded by COVID-19 and its negative economic impacts can help reduce COVID-19 outbreaks in vulnerable populations and is a viable economic investment. |
| Where would your project take place? | The target population of this proposed grant is homeless children, families, and adults in the City of Chattanooga. |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 783500 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | No |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | |
| If funded, when would your project start? | June 1, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 1 year |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | Obtaining matching funds for the project through private or philanthropic entities Increased services provided to diverse populations within the homeless community Increased disbursement of preventive healthcare vaccines and healthcare Increase in obtaining photo identification and/or drivers licenses Increased number of individuals assisted with obtaining social security cards Increased number of individuals employed Increased numbers of individuals reconnected to healthcare Decrease in morbidity rates Decrease in chronic illness |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | The mobile clinics Nurse Practitioner and social worker will be responsible for completing quarterly reports along with the help of student interns, detailing medical and social services provided to the homeless population who utilized the mobile clinic. A program consultant will conduct an analysis of the demographics served and the outcomes of the program. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | A mobile healthcare clinic would help to reduce outbreaks of infectious diseases and advance overall population health in our community along with reducing the cost of healthcare for all. The project would serve as a stepping stone between the mobile clinic and the community to address medical and social determinants of health and play an important role in improving our evolving healthcare system. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | The project will partner with local colleges and universities whose medical and social services programs are looking for internship opportunities. Staff of the mobile clinic program will provide information to community providers through virtual meetings, emails, and conference calls. Information will be disseminated to shelters, walk-in centers, and through formal presentations and information booths at local service provider locations. |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | Utilizing the mobile clinic as a healthcare delivery model can provide access to at risk populations at a lower cost. The mobile clinic would economically complement stationary traditional healthcare facilities and help fill a current healthcare access gap. It could also help to alleviate the negative impact of the growing number of hospital closures in especially in the more rural areas which forces persons into the City for services. |