Carthage Area Hospital Awaits New Mobile Clinic
Rural communities of the North Country and beyond will be able to take advantage of on-the-go health care provided by a new mobile clinic operated by Carthage Area Hospital. The clinic will bring primary and preventative health care services into the communities where people live and work, eliminating the need for long commutes for necessary care that cost patient’s time, missed work, and safety. The mobile clinic will provide everything from vaccinations to well-visits, as well as important screenings in a secure, safe environment, close to home. The estimated arrival of the vehicle is June/July of 2022.
“The delivery of healthcare is evolving and we have to adapt to meet the ever-changing needs of our patients. One of the greatest challenges in accessing health care services by patients in the North Country is the lack of reliable transportation. This project will help address that, as we can now bring health care services closer to the patient. This mobile clinic allows us to reach patients that would otherwise not be able to receive healthcare as readily as those in more populated areas, said Rich Duvall, CEO of Carthage Area Hospital.
The initial rollout will focus on vaccine education, including COVID-19, flu, HPV, and other available series. As this is grant-funded, the mobile clinic is restricted to vaccine education until July 31st, 2022. Beginning August 1st, 2022, the clinic will transition to providing healthcare services, in addition to ongoing vaccination education and promotion. The mobile clinic will be staffed by a mid-level healthcare professional (a Nurse Practitioner or a Physician’s Assistant) and a LPN, initially two to three days a week.
“A master schedule will be created for the mobile clinic, listing locations across the Tri-County area where services can be easily accessed. This will include opportunities for pre-scheduled and walk-in appointments. Once finalized, the official schedule will be published on our website and updated as changes or additional days are scheduled,” said Mark DeCilles, Administrator of Outpatient Clinics & Business Development of Carthage Area Hospital.
The mobile clinic was made possible by two grants, a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Grant totaling $297,174.00 and another from the North Country Initiative (NCI) through the 2022 Promising Practices Fund for $30,500.
**Photo is a concept-ONLY