Last month, CCHS unveiled its new mobile clinic and the plan for how it will be utilized to provide healthcare for patients who have difficultly traveling to a local health center. Below is the press release detailing the unveiling and the mobile clinic’s uses.
In June 2017, the Cabin Creek Health Systems (CCHS) opened the Sunnyside Health Center located in the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department. Since that time, Sunnyside Health Center has provided medical and behavioral health services three days a week. This facilitated the Community Health Extension Program (CHET) to support numerous health events in the Charleston area. This included services at local shelters, on the street, at warming centers, assisted living facilities, in homeless encampments, and other places where they are needed.
CCHS discovered providing healthcare for those most in need requires providers to meet people where they are and work diligently to build relationships over time. To assist with this, CCHS has worked with community partners to provide services outside the reach of healthcare. These partners specialize in identifying and addressing many social determinants of health including housing, food stability, clothing, bill pay support,
and many other services that meet individual needs. Community partners include United Way of Central WV, Kanawha Valley Collective, The Salvation Army, The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, and many others.
To better meet patients where they are most comfortable and provide them with a wide array of health services, CCHS acquired a mobile health clinic. This clinic’s primary directive is to offer acute and primary care services to populations that do not seek routine care. This decreases pressure on community providers by improving population health, and improves patient outcomes by utilizing person-centered, evidence-based healthcare. Populations that are experiencing homelessness, or extreme poverty frequently report being alienated by traditional healthcare because of perceived stigma. CCHS addresses this stigma by maintaining that person-centered healthcare is the best way to improve population health and rapport with patients and communities. The work of the Community Health Extension Team exemplifies that principle.
Additionally, CCHS’ mobile health clinic has been able to increase efforts to address COVID-19 testing and vaccination, confirmatory testing for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, and syphilis. CCHS has also developed innovative protocols to provide point-of-care PrEP to help prevent the spread of HIV in vulnerable populations directly from the mobile health clinic.
CCHS and partners invite anyone interested in learning more about the Community Health Extension Team and the mobile health clinic to attend a briefing on Monday, August 9th beginning at 11am. This event will be held at the CCHS Administration Building, located at 104 Alex Lane, Charleston, WV. There will be a short informational program, a chance to tour the mobile clinic, and an opportunity to meet the team. Light
refreshments will be provided.
