An NPR story on the Stanford Children’s Hospital Mobile Health Clinic van spurred a quick look into similar resources available here in Sacramento. Services provided by the Stanford "teen van" include: "free medical, nutrition and mental health services, including reproductive health care and treatment for chronic illnesses, substance abuse and depression. All medications are free and provided at the time of consultation. A social worker is available for counseling and connects adolescents to additional resources; a registered dietitian works with patients who are malnourished, a frequent health issue for this population". The NPR story included moving stories of young people who were served by the health clinic.
Turns out, the San Juan Unified School District here in Sacramento is served by a similar mobile health van, called Health on Wheels (HOW) Van, part of a Wellness Without Walls initiative of Elica Health Centers. The HOW van is equipped with two full exam rooms.
The HOW van schedule and locations are available here. Services are available to uninsured students for free, and MediCal is accepted. Elica takes outreach requests from organizations interested in providing mobile health access to the populations they serve.
Elica provides mobile health services to multiple populations, from homeless youth and families to other hard to reach populations, under their Street Medicine initiative. The work of "backpack doctors" is detailed in this SacBee article (unfortunately, not freely accessible, as the article is behind a paywall). A short video (no paywall) about the Elica Street Medicine program can be viewed here.
In an email exchange with the Sacramento County Unified School District, I learned that SCUSD does not currently have a similar relationship with a mobile health clinic. What a great item to put on a wish list as we work to build a more resilient and trauma-informed Sacramento!
The Stanford "teen van" physician, Dr. Ammerman, highlights the connection between their services and resiliency-building when he states:
“These kids have strengths, and by focusing on their strengths it can really make a difference. Because strength builds strength. And success builds success".
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