CONTRIBUTED BY EAST ALABAMA HEALTH
OPELIKA — The Opelika Neighborhood Mobile Wellness Clinic has received a $10,000 grant as part of a learning collaborative through America’s Essential Hospitals.
The grant will support the Mobile Wellness Clinic’s participation in a nine-month learning collaborative with four other Essential Hospitals members to provide strategies and practices for operating and sustaining successful mobile health programs.
“We are honored to be a part of this collaboration to identify new ways to ensure underserved populations have access to the care they need,” said Sutricia Johnson, director of Case Management and Health Equity for East Alabama Health.
“Positive health outcomes begin with preventive screenings and education. With the Mobile Wellness Clinic, we can bring these key items to those without the resources to reach it themselves, further empowering our efforts to reduce health disparities within our community.”
The Mobile Wellness Clinic is a joint effort between East Alabama Health, the City of Opelika and the Casey Family Foundation. The clinic visits underserved areas of Opelika and provides critical medical services such as glucose screenings, blood pressure checks and referrals to community resources.
Since launching in December 2022, the clinic has served over 900 individuals throughout the Opelika community. Through more than 1,600 screenings, the clinic has helped identify undiagnosed or uncontrolled chronic illnesses in nearly 20 percent of patients treated.
Catching these issues can often be lifesaving, as was the case for Victor Chavez, a patient seen by the clinic who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and required immediate emergency care. After recovering, staff from the Mobile Wellness Clinic connected Chavez with the Diabetes and Nutrition Center for management of his condition.
“For many people, the barriers to healthcare such as distance, cost or time constraints, can be overwhelming,” Johnson said. “This grant is a crucial step in our ongoing efforts to increase equitable access to health care within our community.”
For its success in expanding access to care, the clinic has been invited to join a learning collaborative for successful mobile health programs. The Essential Hospitals Institute—the association’s research and education arm—designed this collaborative with funding from the Lowenstein Foundation to cover high-priority topics, including building community trust, policies to increase care capacity, mobile health program financing and staffing.
About East Alabama Health
East Alabama Health encompasses East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital in Valley, the Spencer Cancer Center in Opelika, the Auburn Medical Pavilion and a host of other key medical clinics and practices that help provide a continuum of care to patients throughout an 11-county area. East Alabama Health employs about 3,800 people and is the second largest employer in the region, trailing only Auburn University.