Everyone is Raven' About the MAVEN Telehealth Project (FL UCEDD/LEND)

April 9, 2018

Patients without health insurance frequently face long waits for specialty care. The collaborative MAVEN Project, launched in November at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Mailman Center for Child Development, with the Pediatric Mobile Clinic, aims to cure that problem by connecting patients to volunteer physicians through mobile clinics equipped with telehealth systems. The MAVEN (Medical Alumni Volunteer Expert Network) Project is collaborating with mobile clinics at UHealth-the University of Miami Health System, UHI Community Care Clinic and Florida International University, leveraging grants funded by the United Way of Miami-Dade and Health Foundation of South Florida.

"We help primary care providers in underserved communities manage chronic conditions in a clinic setting, validate patient care plans and improve health outcomes," said Lisa Bard Levine, M.D., CEO of The MAVEN Project, a San Francisco-based nonprofit. "Our physician volunteers include retirees and those in active practice who provide their expertise to help vulnerable populations." Khalid Mirza, Board Vice President at UHI Community Care Clinic in Miami Gardens said, "Being able to see a neurologist, cardiologist, endocrinologist or other specialists without delays is vital to improving the health of our patients. By helping our team keep conditions like diabetes or hypertension under control, the MAVEN Project can reduce hospital admissions and emergency room visits, resulting in lower costs as well as better outcomes."