HEALTHCARE
鈥楾ake care where people are鈥�: Presbyterian Healthcare Services expands mobile health center program
The program now has three clinics on wheels spread across the state
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A program meant to expand healthcare services for New Mexicans has tripled in size.
Presbyterian Healthcare Services officials gathered on Tuesday to announce and celebrate the launch of its two new mobile health centers, which are clinics on wheels. The expansion brings the Mobile Health Center program鈥檚 fleet from one to three vehicles. They will offer a variety of healthcare services to communities in and surrounding Albuquerque, Espa帽ola and Las Cruces.
鈥淭hese vans are part of a broader, data-driven and community-centered strategy to reduce barriers to care, to address health disparities and connect more New Mexicans with preventive, primary and acute care closer to their home,鈥� said Heather Thiltgen, president of Presbyterian Health Plan.
The clinics will operate on a five-day schedule between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday to accommodate people鈥檚 work schedules. They鈥檙e expected to each serve 21 patients per day, with services including annual child wellness visits, child immunizations, primary and acute care, health screenings and assessments, diagnostic testing, and care planning and referrals for follow-up care.
Presbyterian Healthcare Services has had a mobile health clinic solely in Albuquerque for about 13 years, according to a spokesperson. Last year, the health system launched a new approach of using health data and local partnerships to identify community needs and determine broader regions where mobile services would have the most impact.
The original Albuquerque clinic has been serving the Espa帽ola area for the past year and will now stay in the area permanently, while the two new units will be based in Albuquerque and Las Cruces while also serving central/northern and southern New Mexico, respectively.
The two new units are each about 30-feet-long and roughly the size of a large family RV, which is what they were before being refurbished, according to Jess Sanchez-Lujan, director of Presbyterian鈥檚 Health Plan Place and Mobile Health Center programs.
While some mobile clinics can cost anywhere from $800,000 to $900,000 per unit, both of Presbyterian's new units cost a combined $700,000. They were made custom over the last eight months by North Carolina-based Mission Mobile Medical.
鈥淲e did a lot of research on mobile medical vehicles and this company kept coming up time and time again,鈥� Sanchez said, adding the company had a plethora of resources and experience with approaching rural healthcare.
鈥淭heir shock suspensions and things of that nature are specially designed for areas like Pe帽asco in New Mexico, so that if you have to head there through Taos and you鈥檙e curving the mountain, we鈥檙e in safe hands,鈥� Sanchez said.
The new mobile units come equipped with an exam room, an intake area and the space to conduct immediate medical diagnostic testing. Each van will be staffed by a driver, program coordinator, clinician, registered nurse and medical assistant. The vans will regularly rotate staff depending on what community needs and services the unit is focusing on every other day or week.
A core component of the program, Sanchez said, is serving community members where they鈥檙e already spending much of their time. One example is a partnership Presbyterian has with Central New Mexico Community College where the clinic will station itself on one of CNM鈥檚 campuses twice a week. CNM then spreads the word to students, who can then schedule an appointment.
Tailoring the clinics鈥� services to the areas they鈥檙e serving is another focus. One week, the Albuquerque clinic could be in the International District offering street medicine and then in Farmington the next week offering asthma services due to the area鈥檚 air quality. The Las Cruces unit can also serve the Hobbs, Carlsbad and Artesia areas, potentially offering pediatric care where there are few pediatric options, Sanchez said.
鈥淭he main purpose of our mobile health fleet is to allow Presbyterian 鈥� to bring care to communities where distance, transportation or limited local resources can make accessing healthcare services more difficult,鈥� Thiltgen said.
She said the new mobile health units will allow Presbyterian to reach more of those communities and 鈥渢ake care where people are.鈥�
Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.
