NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: April 22, 2016
Healthcare Initiative Foundation Grant Supports MobileMed and Aspire Collaborative Program: Integrated Behavioral Health Services for Underserved Montgomery County Residents
Bethesda, MD—Mobile Medical Care, Inc. (MobileMed) and Aspire Counseling are pleased to announce that they were jointly awarded a $100,000 grant by the Healthcare Initiative Foundation (HIF) that continues support for integrated behavioral health services for MobileMed’s low-income primary care population. HIF funds will enhance quality of patient care by ensuring proactive screening and treatment for behavioral health conditions. HIF, a 501(c)(3) private foundation, is known for its commitment to improving safety net services in Montgomery County, funding programs that are typically underfunded and represent significant service gaps. Crystal Townsend, HIF’s President, noted, “We are thrilled to be in the position of encouraging effective nonprofits to collaborate on large challenges and supporting creative strategies to address the unique health and wellness needs of the community, especially for vulnerable residents.”
The MobileMed/Aspire collaboration started as a pilot program six years ago. Recognizing that mental health and physical health are interrelated, the program’s initial goal was to increase the number of patients screened for anxiety and depression when they visited one of MobileMed’s primary care clinics. As this collaboration has evolved and expanded, the program now has three overall goals: to move closer to the goal of universal behavioral health screening for all MobileMed patients; to ensure that patients whose behavioral health screening indicates that they are at risk are assessed and linked with appropriate follow-up treatment; and to provide effective onsite therapy services by Aspire staff to as many MobileMed patients as possible. HIF”s support is integral to developing a sustainable model that achieves significant outcomes for underserved patients. “Our collaboration enables warm consultations and behavioral health services within the supportive MobileMed environment,” said Tamara George, Aspire Counseling Executive Director. Peter Lowet, Executive Director of MobileMed, added, “Integrating behavioral health services in the primary care setting is a great way to mitigate stigma and facilitate access. Aspire therapists display the expertise, openness, and cultural competence that our patients need.”
For over 45 years, MobileMed’s mission has been to improve the health of low-income people who face the greatest barriers to care access to a community health center. A 501(c)(3), MobileMed provides high quality, comprehensive primary and preventive care, delivered in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner. Each year, MobileMed serves over 4,000 of Montgomery County’s most vulnerable adult residents through 14,000 medical encounters. Aspire Counseling’s vision is to be an active partner in a community in which all people have access to needed, effective, evidence-based mental health and wellness services. Based in Gaithersburg, Aspire, a 501(c)(3), serves more than 1,500 people each year through office-based and community-based programs. Its community programs are designed to meet the mental health needs of low-income, uninsured and underinsured people within Montgomery County.
More information on MobileMed is available at www.mobilemedicalcare.org or by contacting info@mobilemedicalcare.org or 301-841-0825. More information about Aspire Counseling is available at www.we-aspire.org or by contacting main@we-aspire.org or 301- 978-9750.