Stories

Recovery Mobile Clinic has recently set a $20,000 fundraising goal for their Patient Recovery Fund on their SHARE Detroit profile! Founder Jordana Latozas says that SHARE Detroit has been a valuable resource in helping make community members aware of the work Recovery Mobile Clinic is doing and how to get involved, so we wanted to take some specific time to highlight the impact they make in Southeast Michigan and beyond. This will help readers like you understand why this fundraiser is so important!

Since 2020, Recovery Mobile Clinic has operated a fleet of RVs and SUVs that regularly drive to high need areas (such as community centers and homeless shelters) in order to provide crucial access to medical care. This is done directly by providing services like screenings and Vivitrol injections. They also assist people in beginning or supplementing their medical journeys by helping them apply for Medicaid, identify health care providers, and place orders for pharmaceutical refills.

As a nurse practitioner, Latozas was inspired to start Recovery Mobile Clinic so she could “reach clients that struggled to access healthcare due to transportation barriers, homelessness, Medicaid coverage gaps and other reasons.” She calls Recovery Mobile Clinic “a unique solution to address those healthcare insecurities.”

The services that Recovery Mobile Clinic offers not only fills gaps in healthcare for patients, but they also help support traditional offices. For instance, Latozas explains that, “Because of the Primary care and Psychiatry shortage, it can take over 3 months to get an appointment sometimes. When patients are running low on medications this means they have to rely on urgent cares or the Emergency room for medication refills. This is inefficient, expensive and distracts from the emergencies, causing congestion and delays in the emergency rooms that can be dangerous.” She further emphasized that Recovery Mobile Clinic aids primary care providers and specialty providers by reminding clients to follow up with these providers and keep their appointments while also helping them keep up on their medications to remain stable until other providers can take over their care.

Latozas has numerous client success stories, but said one in particular stands out because it involves a man who specifically returned to the clinic to say thank you and share his story. This man was living in a homeless shelter in Detroit because he was recently released from jail and, unfortunately, all of his belongings, including his ID, were stolen during a bus ride. When he initially went to Recovery Mobile Clinic, he came in for high blood pressure, but it was soon revealed that his larger issue was that he was lacking access to resources that would put him back on his feet. Their case management team got him a government phone, a new state ID, and a copy of his birth certificate! Two months later, he had a new job. Four months later, he had his own apartment. And best of all, he was off his blood pressure medication! The high blood pressure he initially came to the clinic with as a result of stress and once he was able to establish a decent standard of living, his stress reduced. 

Recovery Mobile Clinic lives up to its name—it is committed to recovery by helping reduce the stress clients have around medical care. Latozas told us that decreasing medical stress plays an important role in long-term patient recovery: “People in recovery struggle with everyday issues as well as their addiction. Stressors are very often triggers, as in most instances, substance use is a form of coping mechanism. Not a good one, but a coping mechanism, nonetheless. We have to remember that humans are creatures of habit and we have a tendency to do the things that are familiar to us, not necessarily what is good for us.”

When asked about the Recovery Mobile Clinic’s current fundraising goal for the Patient Recovery Fund, Latozas stated, “[This fund] is utilized to cover the costs of care for clients without insurance, who we are unable to get onto Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act/marketplace plans. In this way, every Dollar donated to the Recovery Mobile Clinic goes directly to patient care.” Latozas affirms, “The Recovery Mobile Clinic will never turn anyone away for an inability to pay.” This makes all financial contributions to the organization essential.

Besides monetary support, Latozas says a key way community members can support the Recovery Mobile Clinic is by sharing their website and information on social media platforms. Another option is to volunteer to help the Recovery Mobile Clinic run their fundraisers. Latozas also suggests that if you have a story of mental health struggles or addiction that you should share it so you can contribute to ending the stigma around these subjects.

Best of luck to Recovery Mobile Clinic in meeting their new goal! If you want to support them, you can donate directly on their SHARE Detroit profile. The SHARE Detroit team looks forward to seeing Recovery Mobile Clinic's ability to do good expand even further!