GEORGETOWN, Del. - After about a year of preparation, La Red Health Center's mobile health unit is hitting the road for the first time, providing essential primary care services directly to the community.
For Martha Valero, a family nurse practitioner at La Red Health Center, being part of this initiative is rewarding.
"Most of the time, the patients, we schedule their appointments, they're not coming because of transportation problems. So, if we go to them, they will be able to access the services, get their medications, be healthier," Valero said.
The mobile unit offers a wide range of services, including physical exams, COVID-19 tests, vaccinations, urine tests, and Pap smears.
Registered nurse Janae Taylor is also proud to be part of this project, highlighting the importance of outreach.
"It just means a lot that we're actually going to them, and they are not just out in the community, unseen, unheard," Taylor said.
The mobile unit welcomes both new and existing patients, offering walk-in and appointment-based services.
"It's not only the number of patients, but it's actually the type of services that we are able to bring in and have them out in the community, meaning the mobile health unit. So, we're trying really hard to listen to our community and listen to the patients and increase our services in the locations depending on what we hear from the community," Rosa Rivera, chief operations officer at La Red Health Center, said.
The mobile unit is accessible to everyone. It has a platform for people in wheelchairs or those who have difficulty going up and down stairs, ensuring equal access to healthcare services.
"My goal with this mobile unit is to reach all the population that need us. It doesn't matter the patient, their economic status, it doesn't matter if the patients have no insurance or they have insurance. It doesn't matter to me. What matters is to reach the population that needs us," Valero said.
La Red Health Center aims to see between 15 and 20 patients at each event with the mobile health unit.