GREENSBORO, N.C. — The pandemic posed many challenges.
It’s also shined a light on health disparities that existed before COVID, specifically barriers to care here in the Triad.
Novant Health said they’ve heard the communities concerns about access to health care and have come up with a solution.
Novant will deploy what they’re calling a community care cruiser Into underserved communities across Forsyth County.
The health care system held a ribbon-cutting for the 38-foot-long unit Wednesday as a commitment to improve health equity for all patients.
The more than $600,000 cruiser is designed to offer free walk-up health care services like routine screenings, chronic disease management, physical assessments, nutrition education and counseling.
Most services offered will be free.
Chad Setliff the Vice President of Novant health’s greater Winston-Salem market said they’ve looked at their footprint and found certain zip codes like the east side of Winston-Salem don’t have equal access to care as other areas.
“In some communities, we don’t have a good attachment of patients to health care services,” Setliff said. “We can bring it to the community and introduce them to the services available and other services beyond what's provided on the community cruiser.”
To reach as many underserved patients as possible Novant is allowing folks in the community to make requests for the unit to pull up to their communities.
Sandra Stinson has lived in the Winston-Salem area for 21 years. She said this will help her better take care of her health
“One of the problems with people getting good health care is not having transportation to get it. It's great being able to walk up and get services,” Stinson said. “And even if services aren't available there are resources where they can get other information. It's critical right now.”
Patricia Caldwell has lived in the Winston- Salem area for 72 years and said she sees the mobile unit helping patients who take long commutes for critical care as her daughter did before her passing.
“My daughter was a dialysis patient before she passed and she would have to take trans aid and a lot of times it takes so long and they're so sick,” Cadwell said. “Sometimes it poses a problem because people cannot wait that long to get medical transportation.”
Novant said in the next two weeks they plan to host a few clinics to get the community familiar with this new offering.
Click here to request a visit from the care cruiser team.
Novant Health said it will deploy two more community care cruisers later this year to serve patients in and around Charlotte and Wilmington.