LAKEPORT >> For the past five years, the Sutter Lakeside Hospital Mobile Health Unit, generously funded by donors, made its rounds through our community. This innovative “clinic on wheels” delivered health care testing and services to hundreds of community members.
Sutter Lakeside constantly evaluates the evolving needs of the people in our community. With more community members requiring access to primary care services, the hospital has decided to retire the mobile health unit—effective immediately—and focus on helping more patients gain access to Sutter Lakeside clinics.
“We believe our clinics can better serve more patients—meeting their medical needs and also linking them to key services, including primary care, obstetrics and gynecology, podiatry and cardiology,” said Sutter Lakeside Chief Administrative Officer Siri Nelson. The mobile unit’s staff will move to Sutter Lakeside’s Family Medicine Clinic, which is open until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Nelson said she is also exploring the possibility of Saturday hours.
The 2010 launch of the mobile health unit responded to a community needs assessment that identified patient transportation issues. To address this need and help patients reach the clinics, Sutter Lakeside has developed a new partnership with Lake Transit, the Lake County bus agency. This service will be free to patients who lack other transportation to the clinics.
Hospital leadership consulted with its Community Advisory Council and other key community leaders in working out details of this transition.
“The mobile health unit did a wonderful job bringing care to patients unable to come to clinics for many years,” Nelson said. “We appreciate and honor the program’s service and thank the donors, staff and patients who made it possible.”
Sutter Lakeside is considering donating the mobile health unit to a not-for-profit organization. The funds that went toward the vehicle’s maintenance and repairs now support health care technologies, programs and services at the clinics.
“While the mobile unit service comes to an end, our commitment to providing outstanding care to our entire community lives on,” Nelson said.
For information about registering for the new transportation service, call Sutter Lakeside’s Family Medicine Clinic at 262-5088 or Sutter Lakeside Community Clinic at 263-6885.
Sutter Lakeside is a not-for-profit community hospital that has a 65 year history of serving Lake County. Any profits that Sutter Lakeside generates are reinvested into healthcare. To learn more about Sutter Lakeside, visit www.sutterlakeside.org.
