Regional healthcare providers “meet patients where they are” with mobile clinics

Mobile clinics also can be more specialized. MetroHealth, for example, operates a mobile mammography unit. Kelly Vogel, manager of breast imaging services, said the 3D mammography van visits seven Drug Mart locations throughout the Cleveland area, dozens of local companies and four MetroHealth facilities that don’t provide breast cancer screening.

“The mobile program is extremely popular,” she said. “Transportation is a huge barrier for some of our population, so getting that mobile unit out to the community really does make it extremely convenient for these patients to get their screening mammogram.

“And I think a lot of these patients don’t have primary care physicians, which again like (Bellamy) said, makes the mobile unit a great way to connect underserved patients to our resources at MetroHealth for all kinds of preventative care.”

Northeast Ohio Neighborhood Health Services Inc., meanwhile, provides dental check-ups, cleanings, fillings and extractions in its fully equipped mobile dental unit.

“Anything that we can do inside our fixed dental clinics, we can do on that mobile unit,” explained Dr. Regina Savage, dental director of NEON, a network of federally funded clinics in Greater Cleveland.

The “dental van” is primarily used for school-based care, visiting Shaw High School and Euclid City Schools, but also makes stops at health fairs and other events.

Savage believes one of the main benefits is reaching kids whose parents might not be able to take off work to get them dental care at one of NEON’s brick-and-mortar clinics.

“There’s an educational impact as well. If kids are struggling with their own health, like a painful abscess, they’re not learning,” she said. “And once they are in the van, we can talk to them about good dental hygiene, so they don’t run into many of the same issues and problems their parents or grandparents have.”

In addition to tooth and gum deterioration, Savage noted that the long-term effects of poor dental hygiene can be far reaching. Studies have linked bad oral health with serious health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes and dementia – all of which strike Black populations in higher-than-average numbers.

Savage said NEON’s mobile dentistry has recorded nearly 2,250 patient encounters since it began circulating in 2011.

“It’s exciting to think about what kind of difference we’ve made over that time and how services like these will make a lasting impact,” she said.

Another ongoing effort to bring dental healthcare services to communities in need is the The Motor City Kares initiative, which, in 2021, provided a custom mobile dental clinic to minority-led dental health services providers in Detroit.

With offices in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dublin, Delta Dental of Ohio is proud to be an industry leader in dental benefits. Together with their customers, providers and employees, Delta Dental of Ohio builds a higher standard of oral health care in Ohio communities. Delta Dental of Ohio also works with entrepreneurs, innovators and change-makers who are committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all Buckeyes. Together, they are building healthy, smart, vibrant communities for all. For more information, visit deltadentaloh.com.