GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — In an effort to reach more people in need of COVID-19 testing and other public health services, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has partnered with Wayne State University (WSU) and Wayne Health (WH) to provide mobile COVID-19 testing.
MDHHS said this program will be expanded to four other communities -- Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Flint, and Lansing -- in the coming months.
The program allows three mobile units to move between sites and serve communities at the highest risk. Locations are chosen in part to help address racial and ethnic disparities that had existed prior to the pandemic and were exacerbated by the virus -- a focus of the Racial Disparities Task Force.
“The mobile testing and vaccination partnership with Wayne State University and Wayne Health is just another example of how Michigan is leading the way to bring these critical services to the people,” Lt. Governor Gilchrist said in a press release. “We will continue to work diligently to expand access to testing and vaccinations by removing the barriers that limit people from getting the resources they need during this pandemic.”
The partnership between MDHHS and WSU/WH began in September 2020 and is built upon a pilot program conducted by WSU, WH, the Ford Motor Company and ACCESS. MDHHS, WSU and WH have expanded upon this model and are offering flu vaccinations, cardiometabolic risk factor screenings and social determinant assessments with linkages to social services and medical care in addition to COVID-19 testing. Future services could include COVID-19 vaccination, MDHHS said.
“Reaching out and taking resources to where Michiganders live makes it easier to access these services and increases the chances of them getting a COVID test or being vaccinated against the flu or having a health screening,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health. “This partnership is helping address health disparities in communities as well as providing access to resources including emergency food and shelter, unemployment assistance and referrals to other assistance programs.”
Since September 2020, the Mobile Health Units have visited more than 91 community locations and tested more than 7,000 people for COVID-19.
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