BVHS Supports Hancock Public Health in Providing a Mobile Health Clinic to the Community

Blanchard Valley Health System (BVHS) has joined other community programs and organizations to support Hancock Public Health (HPH) in establishing a mobile health clinic to enhance wellness opportunities for the community. The mobile health clinic will be managed by HPH staff and should be operational as early as April, 2021.

HPH is planning to use the mobile health clinic for COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the spring and summer. Logistics for this initiative are still being finalized.

“BVHS is committed to being a leader during this COVID-19 pandemic and this is just another way that we can positively impact the lives of people in our community,” stated Myron Lewis, president and chief executive officer of BVHS. “By working with Hancock Public Health, we have been able to vaccinate thousands of community residents. However, with the investment in the mobile health clinic, we will be able to better serve our community, first with the COVID-19 vaccines, then with additional medical services.”

Some of the other services that can be offered on the mobile health clinic include Mom’s Project and home visiting services, harm reduction services (Naloxone distribution, communicable disease prevention), immunization (mobile flu clinic in rural areas of Hancock County), health screenings for school-aged children, mental health screenings and services, sexually-transmitted infection testing and treatment, manage chronic diseases like hypertension and high cholesterol, referral for social services, health and wellness education, food banks and healthy food prescriptions and targeted health education to promote health literacy.

“With the availability of effective vaccines lies the opportunity to control this pandemic by achieving herd immunity by vaccinating 70-80 percent of Hancock County,” shared Karim Baroudi, health commissioner of HPH. “Reaching out to that many individuals in a short timeframe is a logistical challenge. Therefore, the availability of the mobile health clinic will greatly enhance the capabilities of delivering a prompt and equitable distribution of vaccine doses to provide population immunity to the virus.”

The focus of the mobile health clinic will be on prevention while extending existing services. Taking essential clinical services to the women, children and families who need it is a critical community access point to the full continuum of care.

The mobile health clinic will be ADA accessible, have two fully equipped exam/consultation rooms, a restroom and a registration area with a lab equipped with a refrigerator/freezer for the safe storage of vaccine and medicine.

A schedule for the mobile health clinic will be published monthly by HPH, targeting highly attended events such as fairs, festivals, community dinners, corporate wellness events, churches, park gatherings and other community functions.

“Being a part of this mobile health clinic reinforces the mission of our organization,” added Lewis, “Our family of professionals is truly committed to caring for our community for their lifetime.”

To learn more about Blanchard Valley Health System services, please visit bvhealthsystem.org

For questions about the roll out of the mobile clinic and schedule, please visit https://www.co.hancock.oh.us/government-services/board-of-health