While Patrick County searches for a company to help with the construction of its mobile health units, Connect Health + Wellness of Henry County has stepped up to assist the community with its healthcare needs.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Coordinator Scottie Cassell said two Requests for Proposals (RFPs) have been put out for bid, with no bid received that would sufficiently cover the necessary equipment for the mobile units.
“Because it has to have certain things to be compliant with” the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) “and everything like that, that’s what we’re having trouble with getting everything that needs to be in the trailer right design wise,” he said.
To be compliant, Cassell said the trailers need to have a bathroom, ramps, and other items.
“To find somebody that will build that specific unit in a trailer is real hard,” he said, adding the county is preparing to put the project out for another round of bids.
Cassell said no local funds were used for the project. “This is all federal money. This is a federal grant we applied for, and I think it was $600,000 we received” in August 2022.
“There is no county money going into this at all. This is all federal grant money to help rural America get healthcare access,” he reiterated.
A check for the $600,000 was presented by U.S. Senator Mark Warner, D-Alexandria; Del. Wren Williams, R-Stuart; and 9th District U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, to county officials at a ceremony at the former Pioneer Community Hospital of Patrick County in August 2022.
County Administrator Beth Simms said the federal funds were then placed into the county’s budget.
Cassell said the project started before he became the EMS coordinator.
“We’re trying to wrap it up and try to make it successful. We’re actually partnering with several of the food banks in the area to get information out about where it’s going to be,” he said.
Since it will be mobile, Cassell said when an area of need is identified, the trailer will be moved there.
Once the project is finished, Cassell said there will likely be two trailers – one will be retrofitted for mobile health and primary health while the other would be “more of a screener type thing where we can take it to festivals and to businesses to do physicals and stuff of that nature.”
Cassell said the screener-type trailer will be smaller, but will have a respiratory test, fit test, and other equipment.
“Until we get ours built,” Cassell said the county is partnering with Connect Health + Wellness from Henry County to bring one of their mobile units to the county.
“They come up and they are actually a primary physician, a mobile one,” he said, adding that Connect Health +Wellness has offices in Bassett and Ridgeway.
“What they do is they’ll see wellness patients, they’ll see sick patients, whatever the need. As a matter of fact, on June 24, there will be a dental clinic. So, three days of mobile primary care and one day of dental care available this time,” he said.
Simms said the mobile health units and the Connect Health +Wellness activities are completely separate initiatives from the county’s units.
“The county is very grateful that they have stepped up and expanded their services because healthcare is, of course, a critical need.” The organization “provides much needed healthcare services to Patrick County,” she said.
Connect Health + Wellness Marketing Director Brittant Anthony said the organization is continuing to raise awareness in the county as it works diligently to help increase additional access to healthcare services in that community for everyone, regardless of insurance status or any other barrier that residents may be facing that could prevent them from accessing the healthcare services they need.
“Our mobile clinic is still visiting on a weekly basis. We will be set up at Walmart on Wednesday, June 19, and after June 19, we will be moving the mobile clinic days to the parking lot across from Spring Drug in Patrick Springs. We ask the community to stay tuned for those updates coming soon,” she said.
Since it began earlier this year, Anthony said there has been a small increase in patients who visit and are seen on the mobile clinic. However, she noted there is still plenty of availability on each mobile clinic day and the organization wants to have more people who need their primary healthcare services access visits through the mobile clinic program.
“We will continue to partner with other organizations and agencies in Stuart and Patrick County to assess the health needs of the community as we continue to adapt and develop solutions that drive our mission day to day,” she said.
Anthony said Connect Health + Wellness accepts all patients, even if they work or live in Martinsville, Henry, Patrick, or the surrounding areas. The mobile health clinics are primarily walk-ins.
“We welcome all ages, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Patients can be seen by us if they have insurance, including Medicare or Medicaid; if they are underinsured or if they don’t have insurance,” she said. “We have a sliding fee discount program (based on household income) available, and we encourage all our patients to apply for it.”
Anthony said Connect Health + Wellness is a federally qualified health center (FQHC), which are non-profit community-based, patient centered organizations that deliver comprehensive, integrated primary care and preventative health care services to everyone in the community, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.
“We receive federal grant funding, which supplements revenue that we receive from operations and allows us to continue providing access to cost-effective care for individuals in our community. We also receive various grants and welcome donations as well,” she said.
For more information about Connect Health + Wellness, visit www.ConnectHealthVa.org, or call (276) 638-0787.
