Health Treatment on the Road
In examining the needs of the Riverside community, we found that the homeless population continues to be severely underserved with little to no access to health care services. The rates of chronic and acute health problems are high among this population.
There are a variety of issues impacting this population including, physical, emotional, socio-economic concerns that need to be addressed. In the fall of 2008
Health in Motion was re-launched with a new focus of providing access to care for our homeless population in partnership with
Path of Life Ministries as the operator of the program and Kaiser Permanente as a funding partner.
Common health issues include medical depression, joint and back pain; nutritional needs, pre-natal needs, fatigue, and all stress induced chronic and temporary health issues. In addition to medical ailments, this population also requires support in obtaining preventive medical care for their families, including, regular checkups and immunizations for their children Through this partnership, comprehensive primary care services including health maintenance, lab services, treatment of chronic conditions and health education will be provided.
When people are treated early enough and are able to follow treatment this will in turn reduce acute hospitalization visits and morbidity rates in this under-served population, as well as providing savings to health care dollars.