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Mobile Health and Rights Center

03/01/2010 Home page > Citizen Rights Centers > Health&Rights Mobile Center > Mobile Health and Rights Center
YEDID-Pfizer-Israel December 2009
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  • The YEDID Mobile Health and Rights Center began operation in June 2005, with the support and financial backing of Pfizer-Israel. The Mobile Center is part of Pfizer-Israel's community project, "The Right to Health is in Your Hands."
     
  • This is the first venture of it kind. The Mobile Center provides preventive medical exams, information concerning health services, and information about other social rights. The program targets low-income residents of the periphery.
     
  • The Mobile Center visits the peripheral cities of Israel with the goal of exposing residents to preventive medicine through a wide variety of health exams including blood pressure, height, weight, and sucrose and cholesterol levels. In addition, the Mobile Center offers individualized information concerning the residents' rights to health care and other citizen's rights issues.
     
  • The Mobile Center's goal is to empower and strengthen the residents of the periphery in the area of personal health, help them navigate their way through the national health system, and provide information about health care rights.
     
  • During 2009, the Mobile Center concentrated its visits on villages and towns in the North of Israel, including the villages in the Jezreel Valley area, Carmiel, Shefaram, Tamra, Sakhnin, and Upper Nazareth.
     
  • One of the main services of the Mobile Center is providing information about various social rights. Since its inception, the Center has served about 90 clients each month.
     
  • About 45% of the clients served in 2009 received assistance with health issues, including those who received medical exams. The remainder of cases dealt with other social issues, such as the National Insurance Institute, the Repossession Authority, the legal system, housing rights, and more.
     
  • Through providing routine health exams, dozens of clients were diagnosed with high blood pressure and were immediately referred to their family doctors for continued care. Volunteers from the Mobile Center are following up with these clients to ensure that they receive the medical care they require.
     
  • In order to make its services widely accessible, the Mobile Center conducts special informational sessions in convenient locations, such as community centers and shopping centers.
     
  • From January to October 2009, 3,515 men and women received medical testing at the Mobile Health and Rights Center. In addition, 515 clients received assistance regarding other social rights.

 

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 A Sample of Success Stories from the Mobile Center

An elderly client approached the Mobile Center after having received a letter from a lawyer concerning a debt of NIS 1,887 ($470) to Magen David Adom for use of an ambulance by her late husband.  The client had no prior knowledge of any debt until she received the letter a few months ago – some seven years after the death of her late husband.  Before turning to the Mobile Center, she had unsuccessfully tried to come to an agreement with the attorney.  Through the Mobile Center's legal intervention, the attorney agreed to reduce the debt to NIS 695 ($174), and the client will receive reimbursement for this amount from her Health Fund.

 

A single mother of 8-year-old twins came to the Mobile Center in a financial crisis.  She was about to be evicted from her home for not paying her rent.  Volunteers at the Center were able to help the client renew her right to receive rental assistance through the Ministry of Housing, as well as to resubmit a claim to the National Insurance Institute for welfare benefits.  In addition, the Deputy Director of YEDID was able to stop the garnering of her bank account by the Carmiel Municipality and her cell phone company.

 

A resident of the village of Mazra in the Western Galilee turned to the Mobile Center for information about his rights from the Ministry of Health.  The client is disabled, and is confined to his bed.  Volunteers at the Mobile Center checked with the Ministry and found that he was in fact eligible for assistance in buying a motorized wheelchair.  Shmuel, the driver of the Mobile Unit, contacted the company that imports the wheelchairs, who agreed to offer the wheelchair at half price.  The client purchased the device and is enjoying his new found freedom and independence. 

 

A young pregnant woman from Shefaram asked the Mobile Center to investigate her debt of NIS 7,560 ($1890). Miri, the client coordinator, accompanied the woman to the National Insurance Institute, where a mistake was found in her account.  The debt was lowered to NIS 3,500 ($875), which they agreed to let her pay in 36 monthly payments.

 

A single mother from Afula in a difficult financial situation participated in a Financial Management course, and as a result of the course, she realized the seriousness of her financial crisis.  She was in debt to six banks and had no control of her income and expenses.  At the end of the course, a personal consultant helped her reschedule her payments and adjusted her personal budget.  She was also received assistance in finding a better-paying job.