FeedbackSaturdays, in East Contra Costa County, the Mobile Health Clinic (MHC) provides free preventive and urgent medical care for community members who are uninsured or unable to pay for care. Patients are seen according to severity of condition and clinic capacity. Clinic registration is held during the first hour of each clinic until capacity is reached. Spanish-speaking staff members are available. Mobile clinic services provide a link for patients to a medical care system through referrals and collaboration with area providers such as La Clinica de la Raza and Contra Costa Health Services.
More than 45 doctors, nurses, and support staff from John Muir Health and the John Muir Physician Network volunteer their time in partnership with La Clínica de la Raza and Contra Costa Health Services.
During the week, the MHC operates with the Contra Costa County Health Care for the Homeless program in various locations such as the Monument Community area of Concord, Bay Point, and Antioch. CCHS provides bilingual clinical and support staff while John Muir Health provides the Mobile Health Clinic and driver.
One evening a week JMH partners with RotaCare of the Bay Area and the Concord Rotary Club volunteers to provide free preventive and urgent medical care. JMH provides the Mobile Health Clinic and driver. Mt. Diablo Unified School District provides the Cambridge Elementary School multipurpose room for patient registration.
Mobile Health Clinic Volunteer Quotes
We offer them [the patients] a safe place to get the care that ALL people deserve.
- Dr. Jolin, Physician Volunteer"It is a win-win situation. The patients receive professional health care from someone who comes to work ... because she wants to be there. I myself receive the gift of learning with each day I volunteer."
- Alma Pack, Nurse Volunteer
Highlights
- In 2010, the Mobile Health Clinic Saturday Clinic served 574 patients and made 129 referrals for urgent, specialty or chronic care needs to La Clinica, Pittsburg and Brentwood Health Centers and other community providers
- 80 percent of patients reached for follow-up reported following through with their medical referrals
- 24 percent of patients surveyed reported that they would not have sought care if the Mobile Health Clinic was not available and 14 percent would have gone to the Emergency Room
- During the week, in collaboration with Contra Costa Health Services, the Mobile Health Clinic served 4,104 patients
