Brenda Konkel's Contact Details

Brenda Konkel's Company Details

MACH OneHealth

Madison, WI, US • 5 - 9 Employees
Healthcare Facility/Healthcare Services

Madison Area Care for the Homeless (MACH) OneHealth emerged in the fall of 2015 in meetings between William Gilles and Ruthanne Chun (DVM, director of WisCARES), Ann Catlett (internist and palliative medicine specialist at UW-Health), and Garrett Lee (former Homeless Services Consortium (HSC) board member, social designer and entrepreneur). William shared that people with companion animals prioritized care for their animals over their own need for medical care. With the HSC Education and Outreach Committee, Garrett conducted a transportation survey that identified healthcare to be widely inaccessible. Ann was approached by homeless agencies and volunteer outreach workers regarding the medical dilemmas of their clients. The group began organizing others to address these challenges. As of July 2018, there are over 230 active stakeholders helping to fulfill the mission of MACH OneHealth, serving over 500 housing insecure individuals.OPERATIONS: We have four programs and are seeking recognition as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit.Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA)We discovered the healthcare needs and barriers of 128 housing insecure individuals so we can deliver better care. Foot Care Clinic (FCC)We have provided foot care to over 500 housing insecure individuals on the second Saturday of every other month from 8:30am–12pm at First United Methodist Church, 203 Wisconsin Ave., Madison, WI. We piloted the FCC at The Beacon and are exploring hosting the clinic there.Madison Street Medicine Initiative (MSMI)In collaboration with the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, we "go to the people" to deliver care and connect unsheltered individuals to better healthcare.CommunicationsWe coordinate marketing and communications efforts and we also host a monthly educational introduction (affectionately dubbed MACH101) to MACH OneHealth for new organizational members and interested parties.