Beebe Healthcare’s new mobile clinic puts health care services on the road in Sussex County
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – Beebe Healthcare is putting their services in motion with a new Mobile Health Clinic, a push to meet those in Sussex County where they are.
“You can have the best quality care, but if you can’t get people to it or people can’t get to it, it doesn’t happen,” Beebe Healthcare President/Ceo Dr. David Tam said.
Beebe Healthcare held a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday for its 36-foot health clinic on wheels, eliminating what they say is one of the biggest barriers to care: transportation. “We would take phone calls sometimes and patients would call in and say ‘I need help, but I can’t get there because I don’t have transportation.’ They didn’t want to call 911,” Behavioral Health Department Nurse Manager Shawna Mayles said.
The Population Health and Community Outreach departments will operate the mobile unit, providing addiction medicine and behavioral health services. “If they have a substance abuse disorder and they’re willing to get on some medication for treatment, we’re hoping to get them hooked to that service and ever counseling services,” Mayles said.
It’s collaborative efforts from many donors and community partners, including the Carl M. Freeman Foundation. The foundation provided $370,000 in grant funding to support this mobile health initiative.
Chairman Michelle Freeman says this also gives those fearful of traditional health care settings a sense of comfort. “Walking in for care is really scary. So, if you come from a marginalized community, a lot of times you don’t seek care and you stay in the disease,” Freeman said.
“That person that may be in the community that didn’t think it was possible for them to be seen by a doctor, or get a vaccine, or just see a healthcare professional is now going to have access right in their backyard.”
As Sussex County continues to see growth, Beebe’s President Dr. David Tam says the vehicle is just one part of their 5-year plan to expand their footprint in the community. “We know that there’s still places we need to go to and that’s what the mobile medical clinic will do for us,” Dr. Tam said.
Many programs and services made this effort possible, including a $550,000 grant from Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.
The mobile unit is expected to start operations later this winter.
