Prevention Program Mobile Van: Meeting Individuals (Literally) Where They're At
Prevention Program Manager Mikey Forbes sits in the Chicago House Mobile Van.
After a complete overhaul in late 2020, Chicago House’s mobile testing van has resumed its HIV screening and outreach services across Chicago. The mobile van revolutionizes Chicago House’s ability to literally meet individuals where they’re at to engage them in care.
“A buzz phrase we are routinely returning to [using] is ‘participant readiness’ and how to maximize participant readiness immediately,” explains Mikey Forbes, Chicago House Prevention Program Manager. “If an individual reaches out Monday and wants HIV testing, by Tuesday or Wednesday, their priorities can shift and their readiness can be gone. Mobile services allow us to maximize participant readiness by responding rapidly. With the van, if we’re on the South Side but someone in Rogers Park needs a test today, we can meet them as long as they can wait an hour to see us.”
The van has been an asset in reducing barriers to care during the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep participants safe during COVID-19, the Prevention team began ordering rideshare services for individuals seeking HIV screening services to avoid public transportation. One such individual, D*, a monolingual Spanish speaker and transgender woman, was referred to Chicago House to update her HIV status in order to resume her hormone replacement therapy. When it came time to book an Uber ride to her appointment, though, Prevention ran into a problem: driver after driver cancelled D’s booked rides due to her apartment’s location and a lack of street parking. After hours of attempts to bring D to them, Prevention had a revelation: “Why don’t we go to her?”
The team hopped in the Mobile Testing Van and pulled up outside of D’s apartment building. A Spanish-speaking Prevention staff member guided her through an HIV screen and connected her to case managers at Erie Health Center for further care.
To Forbes, D’s story vividly illustrates the importance of the mobile van. “We had the ability to just jump up and go over there. In one hour, we were able to provide the best and most immediate care for this person, with as few barriers as possible.”
The refurbished van has increased Chicago House’s presence in neighborhoods vulnerable to HIV. As part of its expanded outreach across the city, the Prevention mobile van has recently partnered with For the People (FTP), a volunteer group focused on mobilizing community power. FTP’s Rogers Park chapter interfaces with a large population of intravenous drug users (IDUs), distributing harm reduction supplies like syringes, naloxone kits, and free food. Alongside FTP’s outreach, the mobile van provides HIV screening and linkage services on the first two Saturdays of each month, creating a valuable point of access to other Chicago House services for folks based in a neighborhood lacking HIV care services. The van also partners with FTP’s Albany Park chapter on the first two Sundays of each month to reach a largely monolingual, undocumented, and older population in another HIV care desert. The FTP partnership recently resulted in four individuals linked to PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis, a daily medical regimen that drastically reduces the risk of contracting HIV) in just three days.
The van has enabled Chicago House Prevention to reach communities located in care deserts and reach populations highly vulnerable to HIV at rates previously unattainable to them. Organizations like For the People, with no dedicated space or budget, can in turn utilize Chicago House’s mobile van to bolster their own outreach. Through the van’s increased access to communities impacted by HIV, the Prevention team is able to assess the needs and existing service organizations in these areas, data which can then shape the team’s future outreach.
The mobile testing van continues to fuel more strategic outreach and more responsive services for individuals with barriers to accessing care. In neighborhoods devoid of resources, the van takes Chicago House’s care mobile. Learn more about our HIV prevention and case management services.
*pseudonym