Words by Smiley Team
In the US, many people do not have access to healthcare due to a lack of insurance or because they live in rural areas. As a result, community clinics function as a lifeline for people who are uninsured or underinsured, making certain that they can access basic primary care. However, for patients with more complex conditions, the support they need is not always available. The MAVEN Project works to support frontline providers by connecting volunteer specialists with community organisations through Telehealth.
Meghan Guidry, Vice President, Communications & Donor Engagement for the MAVEN Project explains ‘We recruit physician volunteers with a focus on specialists in fields that everyone might not have access to like cardiology, neurology and endocrinology. People might have access to a community health centre or a charitable health clinic, but that provider might not have a specialist in the issue they are facing.
In light of the pandemic, their work has become even more important. They have continued to provide their core programming to ensure there is no disruption to their services but have also launched new initiatives to provide information and amplify response efforts. Each week they are hosting COVID-19 update sessions for their clinic partners and providers led by a volunteer infectious disease specialist, followed by Q&A with a panel of volunteer physicians of diverse specialties including pulmonology, gynecology, psychiatry, and more.
They are also running educational sessions led by psychiatry specialists to front line providers on managing anxiety for themselves and their patients during this difficult time. Additionally, the project has partnered with the Massachusetts Medical Society to recruit and aggregate volunteer physicians for state response efforts.
Meghan continues that ‘Our hope and our goal is that the MAVEN Project is part of the solution that increases access locally in communities where there is not healthcare access or there are insurmountable barriers to accessing speciality care.’
The MAVEN Project anticipates a greater need for their services not just during the pandemic, but afterwards too as in the US, healthcare access is tied to employment and many people have lost jobs whilst others have put off seeking help from healthcare providers out of fear of catching the virus, resulting in conditions worsening without treatment.
The MAVEN project urgently needs support in the form of donations as well as support from volunteer physicians to continue their vital work.
By Ellen Jones
