Mobile clinics to expand health care options in rural areas

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Rural area in the Midlands may soon see more mobile urgent care options.

Prisma Health received a one-year $200,000 grant from the South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare to activate its Midlands mobile clinic and extend care to rural areas including Eastover in Richland County, Rembert in Sumter County, Ridgeway in Fairfield County, and Swansea in Lexington County.

A specially equipped 38-foot mobile care unit will be scheduled at alternating rural sites every Saturday beginning in May. The unit will return to service locations each month.

“For instance, our team will plan to be at a specific location on the second Saturday of each month, so follow-up visits can be planned for the patients we see,” Valerie Sullivan, mobile health clinic manager, said in a news release.

Mobile sites will be selected based on data from the South Carolina Office of Rural Health, and anyone can seek care, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

“One of our goals is to help connect individuals and families with a primary care provider for their ongoing health needs, so we will provide onsite referrals for patients depending on their needs,” Sullivan said.

Surveys will help identify detriments to health care, such as access to transportation and child care, nutrition and management of chronic diseases.

A mobile clinic schedule will be published online beginning next month on PrismaHealth.org.

“This opportunity to take health care services into rural communities to help residents overcome access barriers for timely medical care is a win-win,” Sullivan said. “Providing a great health care experience beyond our hospital walls helps people see the benefits of care and learn about their options.”