Eisenhower Health opens first Mobile Care Unit
A new Mobile Care Unit at Eisenhower Health will help provide care to Riverside County's most at-risk and vulnerable residents. Officials unveiled the unit Monday afternoon at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“We've opened over 100 clinics from one end of the valley to the other in every subspecialty in medicine and surgery, said Martin Massiello, President and CEO of Eisenhower Health. "And this mobile clinic now allows us to provide services where maybe people couldn't get the care before.”
The Eisenhower Health Latinos in Philanthropy Advisory Board, along with the Houston Family Foundation partnered to fund and create the health system's first Mobile Care Unit. The mobile care unit will provide health care services to underserved areas like the east valley's agriculture community.
Dr. Victor Cisneros, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Eisenhower Health, says this project has been in the works for more than a year.
“This means we'll be able to provide some services that overcomes social determinants of health, which a lot of times is access," Cisneros said. "You know, not just in the east valley specifically, but across the whole Coachella Valley, sometimes we're limited by the ability of patients coming into our hospitals. So if we can go to them ideally, and provide quality care, I mean, that would be the most amazing thing”
It will also serve residents who can't access Eisenhower Health because of transportation, insurance, and other limiting factors.
"We're very excited to be able to expand care beyond the confinements of traditional care that is a hospital, and going to the people is very important," said Cisneros. Especially, knowing that we can adapt and provide high quality care, even if it's in places that ideally is not customary for many providers.”
Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz was also there for the big unveiling.
“I'm especially proud that they have partnered with volunteers in medicine," Ruiz said. "I was a founding board member that got the clinic started and have gone out with them to take care of our homeless at the parks under bridges in the desert and by alleys."
Volunteers with the Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine will also partner with Eisenhower's Graduate Medical Education residents to give medical services to unhoused people around the county through mobile care. They will be able to provide services that most people would typically experience at a doctor's office.
“Any basic medical need, you know, in terms of education, nutrition, small procedures, like incision and drainage of abscesses. So I guess maybe things that ideally would people would come into the emergency department, we would prevent them from getting to that point," explained Cisneros.
The Mobile Care Unit is expected to be put to use for the first time on Tuesday, February 20th.
“I know firsthand that this vehicle is going to expand the ability to provide even more quality care," said Ruiz. "More access to things like gynecological screenings for cervical cancers, and others. And to be able to really do more procedures carry more equipment that you need to treat the people in the field and or at events. This is a real game changer.”
