DAYTON — Premier Community Health, a subsidiary of Fidelity Health Care, unveiled a new Mobile Clinic on Friday, Jan. 20. The new clinic, which was funded by CareSource through the Miami Valley Hospital Foundation, will serve people in communities with limited access to health care throughout Southwest Ohio.

“The new Mobile Clinic will enhance our current program by providing private exam rooms, fully functioning testing equipment, and handicap accessibility,” said Paula Thompson, president and CEO of Fidelity Health Care. “This new coach allows us to expand the number of events, provide additional screenings, and offer more resources to people in our underserved communities with compassionate and respectful care.”

The new 2022 Ford E450 Mobile Clinic provides patients with two private exam rooms, ADA accessibility, and WiFi. The program currently offers health screenings, such as blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, blood glucose, and hemoglobin A1c; health and lifestyle education; and flu and COVID-19 vaccinations. Patients ages 18 and older who utilize the Mobile Clinic receive free care through funding from the Premier Health Community Benefits Program and the health system’s four hospital foundations.

“Miami Valley Hospital Foundation is proud to partner with CareSource in bringing a new Mobile Clinic to our community,” said Jenny Lewis, CFRE, system vice president of philanthropy at Premier Health. “This new clinic will give our health system the ability to deliver even more services and programs in our mission of battling social determinants of health.”

The Mobile Clinic program, which launched in 2019, has served thousands of patients who are uninsured or underinsured. In 2022, the Mobile Clinic provided nearly 1,000 screenings at community events and weekly screening stops.

“CareSource is proud to support Premier Community Health’s new, state-of-the-art mobile clinic, “ said Dee Yocum, vice president of market operations for CareSource Ohio. “Mobile clinics benefit communities by making health care more affordable and accessible, which improves patient outcomes, while providing high-quality care at a lower cost than traditional health care delivery models.”

Since its inception, the Mobile Clinic has been instrumental in the health system’s Barbershop Health initiative; COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics; serving patients during the 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes; and participating in community events, such as drive-thru food distributions at the Foodbank. Additionally, the Mobile Clinic partners with CareSource to provide patients and community members with education on free or low-cost health insurance services.

“The Mobile Clinic program bridges the gap in access to health care, especially between health care professionals and community members who may not have access to care or a physician,” said Thompson. “This new coach will significantly increase community outreach to high-risk populations as we expand our overall program footprint.”

The new Mobile Clinic will replace the current coach, a 2004 Airstream Bus, that was funded by The Maxon Foundation, U.S. Bank, N.A., Trustee and Atrium Medical Center Foundation.

It will begin its service to the community on Jan. 21 at Wright State University’s men’s basketball game at the Nutter Center, where it will begin accepting patients at 5 p.m.

To request the Premier Community Health Mobile Clinic at local events, businesses, religious organizations, or other public gatherings, please call (877) 274-4543.