New Mobile Health Center Hits the Road
Hudson Headwaters Health Network has established a mobile health program. Beginning in June, Hudson Headwaters Mobile Health’s newly purchased mobile health center will bring primary care services to Warren and Washington counties, beginning in Salem, NY.
A second mobile health center, anticipated to arrive in 2022, will serve the central and northern Adirondacks.
According to Hudson Headwaters CEO Dr. Tucker Slingerland, mobile health is the network’s latest mission-driven initiative to expand its access to care. “It is very fitting that, at the beginning of Hudson Headwaters’ 40th year, we move forward with this innovative care delivery model,” he said. “The same high-quality care that communities have come to expect at our health centers is now on wheels.”
Beginning on June 7, the mobile health center will be located at the courthouse in Salem on Mondays and Tuesdays. Additional sites are being finalized in partnership with regional health care partners, community leaders and town officials. These locations will be added to hhhn.org/mobilehealth once confirmed.
Hudson Headwaters Mobile Health visits are by appointment only. Appointment types include primary care visits for adults and children, women’s health services, chronic disease management and preventive health screenings. Same-day appointments for injury or illness may also be scheduled. Patients can make appointments by calling 518-623-0871 or by visiting the Hudson Headwaters Health Network website (www.hhhn.org/appointments). Community members must become a patient of Hudson Headwaters Health Network to make an appointment at Hudson Headwaters Mobile Health.
The Hudson Headwaters mobile health center is a highly customized, 40-foot RV-like vehicle equipped as a primary care medical office and certified as such by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration. The mobile health center offers two fully equipped examination rooms, a registration area, point-of-care testing area, a lab draw station and bathroom. The mobile unit includes the same medical equipment found in a traditional primary care health center, such as examination tables, a scale, equipment to obtain patients’ vital signs and provide vision screening. It will be staffed by a family nurse practitioner, nurse and a medical assistant.
Hudson Headwaters purchased the mobile health center from Farber Specialty Vehicles, a leading medical unit manufacturer based in Columbus, OH. The interior configuration, finishes and external design took more than nine months to build at a cost of $400,000.
The Hudson Headwaters Health Foundation is currently raising funds to support the mobile program’s initial three-year pilot phase. Major project supporters include The Charles R. Wood Foundation, Stewart’s/Dake Family, The Himoff Family and CDPHP.
To learn more or to take a virtual tour of the new mobile health center visit hhhn.org/mobilehealth.
About Hudson Headwaters Mobile Health
- Mission: To drive access to affordable, high-quality primary care and select specialty services for medically underserved populations within the area.
- Vision: To empower community health through an innovative, patient-centric mobile health care delivery model fueled by partnerships with local organizations.
- Goals: Increase access to primary care services; Alleviate health disparities in vulnerable and rural populations; Reduce socioeconomic barriers to accessing health care.