Sky Lakes Medical Center has launched a mobile health clinic to expand access to primary care in Klamath County.
The traveling trailer debuted on Sept. 23 in Klamath Falls, providing flu vaccinations. Beginning in October, it will visit areas across the county.
“We can get out to those far-reaching areas of our community to bring care to people and eliminate some of those barriers due to geography or transportation or weather,” said Casey Bennett, director of wellness at Sky Lakes Wellness Center.
Bennett said increasing access is one way to reduce health disparities in rural communities. Studies show Oregon's rural residents face higher rates of chronic disease and premature death, dying on average four years earlier than people in cities.
“We anticipate that it will operate much like a drop-in clinic, with some basic primary care services, preventive screenings, flu vaccinations, some chronic disease management,” Bennett said.
Another goal, she said, is to provide preventive care so rural residents have alternatives to emergency departments.
“Too often, rural residents rely on the emergency department for routine or preventable conditions simply because other care isn’t available nearby,” Stewart Decker, Sky Lakes Wellness Center's medical director, said in a statement.
Sky Lakes’ mobile clinic joins a number of other similar initiatives in the state. Aviva Health operates two mobile units in Douglas County. La Clinica in the Rogue Valley hopes to soon reopen its mobile health center after it was damaged in a fire.
The Sky Lakes clinic will be at the Beatty Community Center on Oct. 15. In November, providers will head to Chiloquin and Merrill.
