News
February 1, 2016St. Catherine’s and Whitney Young Health Center Partner for Homeless
St. Catherine’s Center for Children is partnering with Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center to bring critical health services to homeless families. The two agencies have signed an agreement that will bring Whitney Young’s Mobile Health Unit to St. Catherine’s Marillac homeless family shelter. Marillac offers temporary shelter for up to 24 homeless families at a time. Whitney Young’s Mobile Health Unit will visit Marillac the third Tuesday of every month, from 2 to 5pm.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Whitney Young Health Center on this initiative,” said William T. Gettman, Jr., executive director of St. Catherine’s. “Marillac shelter runs at full capacity and, at any given time, the homeless population at Marillac can approach 100 children and adults. Next to shelter, reliable health care is one of the most critical services we can offer. Whitney Young’s Mobile Health Unit is a tremendous community asset, and this collaboration guarantees that our families will not suffer from a gap in health coverage while they are with us.”
Whitney Young Health Center is a community based, not-for-profit corporation that provides primary medical, dental, and behavioral health care to some of the most vulnerable populations in the region. Through two medical and dental centers, three school-based health centers, two addiction programs, and numerous outreach programs, Whitney Young Health serves nearly 20,000 men, women and children annually. Almost one-third of Whitney Young patients live at or below the federal poverty level; more than a quarter do not have any health insurance; and more than half rely on Medicaid.
Last year, Marillac provided shelter for 137 families with more than 600 children. The agreement between St. Catherine’s Center for Children and Whitney Young Health Center will remain in effect for two years, with an annual collaborative review to ensure the needs of clients are effectively met.
