IndyGo is expanding its IndyGo Cares services through its Wellness in Transit initiative with the addition of two new partners, Step-Up, Inc., a local nonprofit providing comprehensive Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) care and resources, and Adult & Child Health, an integrated central Indiana healthcare provider that offers primary care, behavioral health services, substance abuse treatment, mobile crisis response, community-based services, homeless outreach, school-based treatment and more.
Step-Up, Inc. will offer patients free sexual health education and rapid testing for HIV, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and Hepatitis C (HCV). The agency will also provide post-test counseling services, regardless of test results. Adult & Child Health’s homeless outreach team will offer visitors rapid assessments to determine the need for housing assistance referrals and comprehensive support, including medical, behavioral health and substance abuse services and assistance in obtaining identification that can be crucial in securing housing, employment and banking.
The public can continue to access all free and existing services provided in conjunction with Wellness in Transit, including the mobile medical clinic through current partner, Gennesaret Free Clinics. The services are offered every Tuesday from 1 to 4 p.m.
Wellness in Transit’s expanded program will offer a continuum of care that connects riders and vulnerable populations to essential health resources, including assistance for those who are unhoused or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The expansion builds on the success of a yearlong partnership between IndyGo and Gennesaret Free Clinics that resulted in providing healthcare services and resources to hundreds of patients at the mobile clinic, regardless of health insurance status or ability to pay.
“Transit directly impacts an individual’s ability to access services that improve health and well-being,” said IndyGo President and CEO Inez Evans. “IndyGo’s mission centers around connecting our community to vital opportunities like this through mobility experiences. The expansion of this service at our transit center, in the heart of Indianapolis, will allow our program to have the greatest impact and reach the densest number of transit riders.”
“Step-Up, Inc. is excited to partner with IndyGo to expand essential prevention and support resources to individuals accessing transportation services,” said Conner Tiffany, Step-Up, Inc. director of prevention. “We know lack of access to transportation services is a contributing factor to the rise of infectious disease rates in central Indiana. By offering free and comprehensive HIV, STD and HCV testing, offering support resources and collaborating with Gennesaret Free Clinics for medical services, Wellness in Transit will provide an avenue to reduce community transmission of infectious diseases for central Indiana residents.”
“We’re beyond excited to partner with IndyGo for this inspiring initiative,” said Cate Porter, marketing manager for Adult & Child Health. “We believe in meeting people where they are to deliver our life-enhancing social services, and we can’t think of a more suitable place to continue that mission than at IndyGo’s Carson Transit Center as part of their Wellness in Transit program.”
With this expansion, IndyGo’s Wellness in Transit is the only program in Indianapolis that provides rapid testing, results and treatment for sexually transmitted infections in one stop for free. While individuals can receive testing at various sites at a cost, only Gennesaret Free Clinics provides free treatment for all sexually transmitted infections, with the exception of syphilis. With few free, walk-in social services available within the downtown core, Wellness in Transit continues to fill this need and provide resources to enhance the well-being of riders while reducing the transportation burden of an added trip.
