ITHACA, N.Y.—REACH Project Inc., a local non-profit, has taken significant steps in addressing transportation barriers to healthcare in underserved areas this year by investing grant funding to outfit a mobile medical clinic. Now, the organization is equipped to bring essential healthcare services to underserved rural areas.
The mobile clinic’s expected soft launch date is January 2024 and was paid for entirely by grant funding, according to Director of Operations Samantha Stevenson.
Over the past 18 months, she said, work has been underway to fully equip the van to conduct in-person physical exams and dispense medication for addiction treatment, including Methadone.
The van will also support the organization’s local initiatives by reaching out to areas in the county with homeless and housing-insecure populations. Stevenson estimated that the organization serves approximately 1,800 patients in Tompkins County alone. In time, other counties will be included in the van’s rotation.
An extensive range of harm reduction healthcare services will be offered, including a syringe exchange program to provide sterile syringes and equipment to patients to promote safer use.
Staffers in the van will provide education about safer injection practices and infection prevention, as well as refer patients to social, mental health and other services, including the organization’s own program Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD).
Patients will have access to a wide range of general services through the van, including acute medical care for abscesses and wounds, screening and treatment for Hepatitis C, HIV and sexually transmitted diseases.
Vaccinations will also be available, including those to prevent hepatitis A and B viral infections that harm the liver. Narcan, a nasal spray used in the case of drug overdoses, will also be distributed along with overdose prevention education.
Providers at the REACH Project do not deny care due to an individual’s inability to pay or lack of insurance. Stevenson said they offer a “sliding fee scale,” based on income, and no upfront payment is required of patients.
For now, she said, the organization has a staff of outreach and community health workers in place to run the van. But in the future, the organization will be looking to hire more staff to work the van.
Research from the National Library of Medicine has defined access to transportation as a significant barrier to healthcare, particularly in minority and low-income populations the REACH Project aims to serve.
Mobile health clinics, as noted in a study in the International Journal for Equity in Health, streamline healthcare access by overcoming logistical challenges, including transportation barriers. They also alleviate issues such as appointment difficulties, long wait times and complex administrative processes, which makes healthcare more accessible for vulnerable populations.
According to a study published in the Journal of Community Health, access to transportation could prevent worse clinical outcomes that trigger emergency department visits for individuals. That timely care can lead to improved outcomes.
“Our goal is to remove transportation and travel barriers for existing patients and to serve new patients we haven’t been able to in the past,” Stevenson said. “The addition of the van is another way to eliminate barriers and meet people where they are.”
The REACH Project started work in 2018, and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Tompkins County in 2020, the organization began its street outreach efforts to meet patients where they were when offices were closed and telemedicine was newly critical.
Now, the organization conducts telehealth visits in 56 out of 62 counties of New York State. It targets rural communities and designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). According to The U.S.Department of Health, Tompkins County is a designated HPSA.