With no questions about legal status and no payment presently required, the Mobile Clinic is a welcome resource for many – providing primary and preventive care and other essential services. It is just one example of a specific, ongoing investment to break down barriers and expand equitable care beyond the walls of our medical center.
Recognized in 2022 by the Lown Institute as one of the nation’s top five socially responsible hospitals, Salinas Valley Health is proud of how the Mobile Clinic delivers hope in the form of health. Five days a week with regular stops at six locations, it provides real-time medical support.
Serving primarily immigrant families and those who work in agriculture, the Mobile Clinic may be the first time some patients see a doctor and receive help from bilingual staff.
The Mobile Clinic, one of only about 2,000 in the United States, features two exam rooms, on-site laboratory capabilities and is staffed by a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, a medical assistant, a community health advocate and a coordinator. Community health advocates are an essential component of this direct action to bridge the health equity gap.
In addition to connecting patients with resources to manage chronic conditions, community health advocates assist with everything from follow-up care to addressing social determinants of health such as food insecurity, housing and other essentials of healthy living. Most importantly, community health advocates establish relationships with patients, building trust in underserved areas.
Mobile Clinic staff give blood pressure monitors and glucose testing kits to those who cannot afford them. Grocery gift cards and nonperishable food relieve a significant stressor for these patients and their families. Clothing and blankets are available, as well as books, games and stuffed animals for children. Following diaper donation drives led by Salinas Valley Health nurses during National Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week in May 2022 and 2023, the Mobile Clinic distributed hundreds of cases of diapers to local families.
“The difference our Mobile Clinic can make in a person’s life is profound. Being part of this outreach is one of the most rewarding experiences in my four decades of work as a physician.”
Orlando Rodriguez, MD
Mobile Clinic Medical Director
The Mobile Clinic works with local nonprofit organizations, community groups and other partners to grow its ability to connect and serve. A 2022 grant from Rite Aid focused on expanded care for children in vulnerable neighborhoods supported food assistance. An anonymous donation of $10,000 funded Operation Smiles, providing holiday gifts for children and grocery gift cards for families.
Since July 2023, the Mobile Clinic has partnered with the Food Bank for Monterey County to distribute food to more than 6,000 individuals (not households) in our community. Along with free medical care, the Mobile Clinic now offers free fresh and nonperishable food every week.
Having served nearly 15,000 patients as of late 2023, the bilingual Mobile Clinic team carries compassion during all its travels, meeting patients with kindness, respect and free medical care. It is a service Salinas Valley Health is honored to share throughout Monterey County.
