Molina Healthcare of Michigan announced an innovative collaboration designed to reach Detroit-area Medicaid members in need of high-quality health care. The partnership with the Wayne Health Mobile Unit and Wayne State University will provide preventive health screenings in an effort to engage individuals not regularly accessing services needed to improve health outcomes.
The Wayne Mobile Health Unit will travel to areas of Detroit where a low percentage of residents are utilizing their Medicaid health plan. The units offer screening for diabetes, high cholesterol, kidney disease and high blood pressure, as well as social determinant needs. With this information, the Wayne Mobile Health Unit team will link members to the appropriate follow-up care to address issues requiring immediate attention. By facilitating a return to their primary care provider for ongoing preventive and diagnostic care, the program will help members achieve their health goals.
“Molina Healthcare of Michigan is proud to be the first health plan to partner with Wayne State University and Wayne Health to utilize mobile health units as we enhance efforts to better reach and serve our Molina members,” said Terrisca Des Jardins, plan president for Molina Healthcare of Michigan. “This mobile unit approach places members on a path to healthy lives, and we are grateful for the opportunity this creates for them.”
A Molina representative will be on hand to guide members through the services available with their Molina health plan while also ensuring they have updated the information required for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to determine Medicaid eligibility. MDHHS recently began the process of redetermination following the end of the national COVID-19 public health emergency that paused yearly checks on an individual’s eligibility for Medicaid. Those who have not submitted current and accurate information could be at risk of losing coverage.
The mobile units are staffed by registered nurses, medical/research assistants, community health workers and patient/family health advocates and are overseen by physicians from Wayne Health.
“We are delighted to partner with Molina on this effort, which is critical to improve the health of individuals in and around the city of Detroit,” said Phillip Levy, M.D., M.P.H., associate vice president for Translational Sciences at Wayne State University and director of the Wayne Mobile Health Unit program. “By bringing preventive services directly to communities where Molina members live, we can overcome existing barriers and ensure that no one gets left behind.”
“A key component of Wayne State’s mission is to positively impact our community,” said M. Roy Wilson, president of Wayne State University. “Partnering with Molina to provide preventive services to its members by using mobile units does just that. It also helps bridge medical mistrust by ensuring those most in need have access to high-quality care.”