140
Arte Útil archive nr:
140
Initiator:
WochenKlausur
Location:
Austria
Category:
politics, economy, social
Users:
WochenKlausur, users of the clinic (over 600 per month).
Maintained by:
Vienna Secession; sponsors and Council.
Certification:
implemented
Duration:
1993 - ongoing
WochenKlausur
-
Medical Care for Homeless People
Description:
Upon receiving an invitation from the Vienna Secession, a group of artists decided that instead of putting on an exhibition they would carry out a project to improve the situation of homeless people. At the time of the project, Karlsplatz, the plaza in front of the exhibition building, was known throughout the city as a meeting place for homeless people.
They customized a van into a mobile clinic that provided Vienna's homeless with access to health care, free of charge. To pay the salaries of the physicians, WochenKlausur resorted to a trick, asking a correspondent for the German news magazine Der Spiegel to conduct an interview with the councilor of Vienna and pretend that he was interested in reporting on the project. Since the politician did not want to appear in the German press as the cause of the project’s failure, he had no choice but to provide funding for the physicians who would staff the clinic – initially for one year.
Goals:
To provide health care for homeless people and to implement creative solutions to social problems.
Beneficial Outcomes:
Since 1993, 600 people per month have received medical care from the clinic. In 1998 a larger vehicle replaced the old van and the relief organization Caritas has taken over management of the entire project. The mobile medical clinic has become a permanent institution, also offering treatment to foreigners without Insurance.