Jesse Brown to deploy Medical Mobile Units (MMUs) to provide health care for homeless Veterans

The deployed MMU will provide health care to homeless Veterans, which includes mental health clinicians, social workers, and other staff.

Ending Veteran homelessness is a top priority for VA and President Joe Biden has made supporting Veterans a key pillar of his Unity Agenda for the nation, according to VA. The administration also has goals of placing at least 38,000 Veterans experiencing homelessness into permanent housing, ensure that at least 95% of the Veterans housed this year do not return to homelessness during the year. And of those who return to homelessness, VA will ensure that at least 90% are rehoused or on a path to rehousing by the end of the year.

Although JBVAMC provides care to Veterans in the community, Dr. B. Keith Taylor, the Health Care for Homeless Veteran Social Worker, said there are a significant number of Veterans who simply will not come through the doors of the medical center.

“With a medical unit, we have the unique opportunity to expand our community reach and bolster our efforts in Chicago and Northwest Indiana to outreach our Veterans; provide support to our transitional housing sites, contract residential service facilities, and local community shelters; and enhance collaboration with other Veteran community organizations,” explained Taylor.”

Taylor added that with a Medical Mobile Unit, the medical center’s Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team is empowered to eliminate multiple barriers to care relative to the following:

•  Real time Veteran enrollment and registration with the support of JBVAMC’s personal assistance service team
• Real time medical and social work visits, lab draws (centrifuge and fridge), prescribe medications (not dispense), administer vaccines (flu, COVID, pneumonia, shingles, Hep A and Hep B series), spirometry and blood pressure and blood glucose checks
• Address and/or better understand medication compliance concerns/issues (barrier identification- and decimation)
• Facilitate bridge supplies of medications and initiate other vital communications for Veterans having difficulty engaging with the medical center
• Identify the location of Veterans who have been considered lost or simply failed to follow up (e.g., taking the services to street homeless Veterans and Veterans located at shelters and other congregate living settings)
• Provide donated items to homeless Veterans (floods, gloves, socks, hats, shoes, and hygiene kits) during the winter months and on-site registration for new Veteran (laptops to be provided)
• More aggressively supports stand downs and buttress point in time count efforts

VA initially deployed 25 MMUs across the country. There are also Mobile Vet Centers throughout the country. MVCs are large mobile vehicles used to provide outreach to eligible Veterans in communities that are distant from existing services.

Jesse Brown VA Medical Center is the only medical center in VISN 12 to have an MMU. The services provided by this Mobile Medical Unit continues to ensure Veterans in local communities receive support through the VA Core Values: Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence – I CARE.