PORTLAND, Maine — The MaineHealth Preble Street Learning Collaborative is gearing up to launch a clinic on wheels to provide mental health resources to unhoused individuals.
Funding, including a two-year $500,000 American Rescue Plan Act grant provided by the City of Portland is powering the clinic.
The mobile unit is called the Community Outreach Network Navigation Evidence-based Care and Treatment van or the CONNECT Outreach Van.
"Individuals who are literally sleeping outside, in a vehicle, or in a building that is not meant for human habitation, that's our priority population that we want to reach," CONNECT Outreach Van lead clinician, Malia Haddock said.
Haddock said the goal is to meet people where they physically are and where they are in terms of their own health care.
"We're going to take care of them whether that's a full psychiatric evaluation or helping them with basic needs," Haddock explained. "When insurance comes into play, it's when we're prescribing medication."
If someone ends up in the MaineHealth emergency room, Haddock said the van is a resource to follow up with if needed.
Also, you can go to the Learning Collaborative on Portland Street to ask about using the van.
"Patients can also access the van by presenting to the MaineHealth Preble Street Learning Collaborative and asking where the van is," Haddock shared. "Then, we are also anticipating developing a more structured schedule where we would be at a certain location at a certain time every week."
Haddock believes this is an important resource to have in the community.
"There are a lot of very valid reasons that patients are hesitant to access health care, many have long histories of negative experiences with healthcare and healthcare systems so this is really an opportunity to reach patients, establish relationships, and restore trust with patients who have really complex needs," Haddock assured.
Haddock said one goal of this initiative is to expand its use.
"We are also hoping to meet patients at a critical transition in their care," Haddock said. "So that means literally meeting people at the time of discharge or right before, and meeting people before they are released from incarceration and then immediately after."
The CONNECT Outreach Van will begin services on July 1.