Aspire rolling out mobile clinic unit to Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Oct. 16, 2023) -- Aspire Indiana Health is rolling out a mobile clinic unit to bring low-cost medical services to Indianapolis’ most vulnerable communities. Funded by a grant from the city, the MCU will primarily focus on serving healthcare deserts, people with mental health and/or substance use disorders, and homeless populations.
"Aspire Indiana Health is so proud to be bringing mobile healthcare to the community and serving those who are most in need of medical services,” said JayVon Muhammad, Vice President of FQHC Medical Services. “We’re grateful to the City of Indianapolis for this generous grant and their partnership in improving the healthcare of those experiencing mental health challenges, substance use disorders and/or homelessness.
“MACY the mobile clinic unit represents everything that Aspire Indiana Health is about: bringing down barriers to healthcare.”
The MCU is a Ford F-550 custom fabricated by TESCO that includes two medical exam rooms and an integrated wheelchair lift. The $375,000 grant from the City of Indianapolis derived from the National Opioids Settlement and paid for the purchase and outfitting of the unit.
Dubbed MACY – Mobile Access Care for You – the unit was introduced by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett at an event on Oct. 10 announcing the city’s initiatives with the opioids settlement, including the Aspire MCU.
MACY will be staffed by a Nurse Practitioner and a Medical Assistant. As an extension of Aspire’s clinic services, the MCU will provide medical visits and assessments, with a focus on addressing medical challenges for those who are unhoused, experiencing mental health challenges and/or substance abuse disorders. Prescriptions for medication will be provided and vaccination services are being explored.
Medicaid and Medicare will be accepted by the MCU as well as traditional insurance. Aspire also has low-cost sliding scale fees for the uninsured, and can assist patients in applying for Medicaid coverage. No one will be refused services for the inability to pay.
After the introductory event, MACY will be deployed starting Oct. 16 to communities of need in coordination with city officials, beginning three days a week. It will primarily target areas where there are large numbers of people who are unhoused and experiencing mental health and/or substance use disorders. Updates on where the MCU is going will be shared on Aspire social media including Facebook and Twitter.
The nickname, MACY, was crowdsourced from Aspire employees, who submitted nearly 100 suggestions and then voted on the finalists. Mary Giesel, Manager of Community Engagement, came up with the winning name.
About Aspire:
Aspire Indiana Health is a fully integrated nonprofit health system serving Central Indiana that addresses behavioral health, primary medical care, substance use disorders, infectious diseases, deaf services, veteran programs, recovery housing, abused/neglected children and social drivers of health such as housing and employment. Aspire is supported by a strong network of community organizations, state/federal entities and generous benefactors. Those interested in partnering with Aspire in making health and well-being a reality in central Indiana are encouraged to contact us at: info@aspireindiana.org.
