As of Tuesday Morning, there will now be two units serving thousands with free healthcare services.
[Ads /]
"We are not asking people if they can pay or not, and that is just the part that makes me happy to see anyone can receive the care," says Adventist Health Hanford's Ambulatory Medical Officer Dr. Raul Ayala.
Dr. Ayala says he's noticed first-hand how vulnerable families can feel when they cannot get the health care they need.
The mobile health units are helping break those barriers.
He says since 2018, they've helped thousands, especially since it launched at the start of the pandemic.
"Hospitals were bombarded with patients, clinics were closed, and we knew we needed to reach people in their own communities," he said. "People were not leaving their homes but still needed health care."
The units provide everything a clinic would, from school and sports physicals and health screenings to dental care and more.
"There are disparities in health care that we see," Dr. Ayala said. "Communities that may have no resources economically or the health literacy may not be there."
[Ads /]
Lauren Day says finding out where the clinics are stationed is easily accessible on their website and encourages people to submit location inquiries.
"You can request the mobile care unit to visit your community, but we have laid out the schedule for the next three months," he said.
Some of their routine locations include homeless encampments and communities like Reedley, Selma, Tulare, and Hanford.
Dr. Ayala says it's exciting to see families get the care they deserve and can't wait to expand their fleet in years to come.
"The hope is we have a mobile unit going north, south, east and west," he said.
Dr. Ayala says their mobile health units are also the perfect way to help students understand the impact being made in communities who don't have easy access.