Page 40 - 2021 MHA Start-up Guide

For example, a client who is addicted to opioid pain killers may come to you . Their primary
concern, however, is not their addiction, but their acne . Your clinical training will push you to
address the addiction as the most pressing issue . If you do so and ignore the acne, you have
communicated to the client that you decide the agenda — and you may never see them again .
Conversely, if you address the acne first, and add a closing message about overdose prevention,
you have demonstrated to the client that they have a voice in their care, and you have provided
appropriate medical care . As you continue to see them for their acne, you can begin to explore
their substance use issues more deeply .

Mobile health care aims to literally meet people where they are . As a program founder, you have
a precious opportunity to work with people who have been somehow forgotten or left behind by
larger institutions . The process of how you reach them and work with them must take their history
into account . Part of your job is to signal your wish to share power with everyone who sets foot
on your vehicle . If you succeed, you will have the privilege of having a bustling practice serving
people who truly need you .

38 MOBILE HEALTH CARE PROGRAM STAR T-UP GUIDE