This year, we are doubling down on mobile health, a staple of CHP care since the 1970s.
Back then, a local doctor and some nurses drove around our rural back roads looking for signs of young children who might need medical care—the origins of CHP.
Today, our countywide health network serves more than 30,000 patients, mostly in brick-and-mortar practice locations, but we are still on the road.
Michelle Derr, Senior Vice President of Family Services and Mobile Health.
In the past two years, our mobile team (mainly on our ‘big orange bus’) counted more than 13,000 patient visits for vaccines, boosters, and other care. We are hardly alone: there are about 5,000 mobile health units on the road across the U.S. today.
Over the decades, technology and vans have evolved, but the idea is the same: Bring care to places where people work, live, play, and shop. On a sidewalk, grocery parking lot, or at a homeless shelter or elder housing residence, you can open a door to medical care for people who need it.
When COVID-19 demanded that we pivot fast, our mobile health teams became COVID fighters on wheels. They worked under extreme conditions: cold and hot weather, contagious illness, staffing shortages, vaccine skeptics, Wi-Fi glitches, long hours of paperwork, and ever-changing vaccine protocols.
We found vaccine customers in unusual places. While fueling up our van, we met gas station employees who wanted vaccines but didn’t have time to schedule them. So, we added gas stations to the MHU itinerary. What did we learn from COVID-19? Mobile health is here to stay and here to grow.
This spring, we take delivery of two new mobile units—for medical and dental care. We also added a refrigerated van for distributing food.
Many of our neighbors remain unvaccinated or have not received booster shots, so our mobile health team will continue with vaccination efforts.
An additional van means we can also do more general preventive care, minor sick visits, nutrition support, and health screenings, especially in areas of Northern Berkshire County.
CHP mobile health is not only a source of care but a place to work. Our vans employ registered nurses, nurse practitioners, dentists, community health workers, drivers, and nutritionists. This non-traditional work setting and our “on the road” operation in the job-secure world of health care means that each day is different.
CHP continues to be a source of health care for Berkshire residents and a significant local employer. Both of these important community contributions are made possible through the generosity of our donors, both large and small. Our mobile health team is gearing up for our expanded services and is grateful for the continued support of the community.