Detroit-based nonprofit Focus: HOPE is revolutionizing access to health care by offering free mobile health services and mammograms across its food centers. These services will be available until the fall, ensuring wider access to essential health screenings for the Detroit community.
Focus: HOPE has partnered with Wayne State Mobile Health Units and Ascension Michigan to facilitate these crucial services. The collaboration aims to address and reduce disparities in healthcare access, especially in marginalized communities.
Service Details:
- Wayne Health Mobile Units: These units are fully staffed with registered nurses and medical assistants who will provide screenings for diabetes, cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
- Mammogram Screenings by Ascension Michigan: Essential for early detection of breast cancer, these screenings will be conducted monthly at designated Focus: HOPE food centers.
Event Schedule and Registration:
- The Wayne State Mobile Unit will be available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Focus: HOPE’s Westside Food Center, located at 1300 Oakman Boulevard in Detroit. These services are scheduled for the first Thursday of every month from April 4 to October 3, with an exception in July when the services will be available on Thursday, July 11.
- Mammogram services will be operational from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on specific Mondays. Interested individuals must register in advance by calling 313-494-4600.
Mammogram Service Locations and Dates:
- Westside Food Center: April 15 and June 17; 1300 Oakman Boulevard, Detroit
- Eastside Food Center: May 20 and August 19; 9151 Chalmers Street, Detroit
- Inkster Food Center: July 15; 759 Inkster Road, Inkster
- Westside Food Center: September 16; 1300 Oakman Boulevard, Detroit
A Call to Action from Leadership: Portia Roberson, CEO of Focus: HOPE, emphasized the critical nature of these services, stating, “These services are fundamental to the well-being of our community. We recognize the disparities in health care access faced by marginalized communities and aim to bridge these gaps.”
Background Statistics: Data from a 2018 University of Michigan’s Detroit Metro Area Communities Study highlighted health care challenges in Detroit:
- One in five Detroiters reported their health as fair or poor.
- Nearly 10% were unable to afford a copayment or prescription.
- Less than a third had access to the type of health care they desired.
These mobile health services are part of Focus: HOPE’s commitment to fostering a healthier community by providing essential health care access to those most in need.