John Plahovinsak
On September 18, 2023, a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) will be in Cincinnati, Ohio, to provide health care and support to homeless and at-risk veterans. The first deployed MMU arrived in Orlando, Florida, on August 1, 2023.
The VA will be deploying twenty-five (25) MMUs across country during the next six (6) months. The MMUs are vans or trucks that move from one location to another to provide private spaces for eligible veterans to meet with medical providers, mental health clinicians and social workers.
Other supporting VA staff provide primary care; women’s health services; audiology; laboratory; and telehealth services to those veterans who may not have access to local VA Medical Care Centers.
A top priority for the VA is ending veterans’ homelessness. President Biden made supporting homeless veterans a key pillar of his Unity Agenda, which was contained in his 2023 State of the Union Message.
For example, in 2022, the VA provided housing for more than 40,000 formerly homeless veterans and assisted over 190,000 veteran families who were experiencing financial difficulties retaining their homes to avoid foreclosure.
The number of veterans experiencing homelessness has fallen by eleven (11%) percent since early 2020 and by more than fifty-five (55%) percent since 2016.
“Veterans experiencing homelessness face a variety of barriers to accessing health care,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough, “including a lack of transportation.”
“With these new mobile medical units, homeless and at-risk veterans don’t have to visit VA hospitals – we come right to them,” concluded VA Secretary McDonough.
The focus of VA’s efforts to end veterans’ homelessness is based upon the concept of a “Housing First” approach. This prioritizes getting a veteran into housing and then providing them with the “wrap around support” that they need to stay housed.
The “wrap around support” includes health care, job training, legal and educational assistance.
The MMU coming to Cincinnati on September 18, 2023 has been made available through the VA’s Homeless Patient Aligned Care teams. The mission of these units is to address the unique needs and challenges faced by our disabled, homeless, and at-risk veterans.
My Opinion: This is great news that Cincinnati was selected as one of the twenty-five (25) MMU visitation sites for the Program. We do have homeless and at-risk veterans (and their families) seeking adequate shelter in our rural areas. Any help provided to them would be greatly appreciated!
The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter #63 (Clermont County) has been aiding and supporting homeless and at-risk veterans, while working in conjunction with the Clermont County Veterans Service Commission and the VAMC in Cincinnati.
Spearheaded by Chapter Commander Steve Smith, the Chapter has provided homeless veterans (and their families) Thanksgiving meals; winter boots and summer footwear; and needed supplies to food banks in both Clermont and Brown Counties.
I am sure the DAV Chapter, and other Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), will be working with the VAMC Cincinnati in providing support for the MMU mission – and to make it a success!!!
BioSketch: John Plahovinsak is a retired 32-year Army veteran who served from 1967 to 1999. He is the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Ohio Hospital Chairman and Adjutant of DAV Chapter #63 (Clermont County). He can be contacted at: plahovinsak@msn.com.