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ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Accessing health care can be a challenge for some. The Roanoke and Allegany Health Districts are trying to change that.
DASH, short for “Delivering Accessible and Sustainable Health,” is the name of the new mobile health clinic.
City of Roanoke and Allegany Health Districts Communications Officer Christy Wills said the RV will allow them to expand public health services.
“We’re doing health education, we’re doing community service, we’re doing vaccinations, we’re doing screenings,” Wills said.
Federal Covid-19 relief money was supposed to be used to buy the new cars in 2020, but supply chain issues pushed the program’s launch until the summer.
“One thing the pandemic has made clear is that we need to be mobile in order to provide services,” Wills explained. “We want to reduce the boundaries so that residents can access public health.”
And that’s what he did for Salem residents Thursday morning. DASH allows the health department to vaccinate 50 residents in 2 hours. Half of them were walkers like Nick Dunaway.
“I wanted to make sure that we were protected and that we were within reason to be as cautious as possible and part of that was to make sure that we were vaccinated,” Dunaway said.
Dunaway and his wife have three young children. Being able to travel less than 5 minutes to get a covid vaccine made it convenient for them as parents. They were in and out in less than 15 minutes.
“If you want to get the shot, come down here and take the shot. It’s just about being able to provide equal access to everyone,” Dunaway added.
Salem resident Jennifer Nelson walked three blocks from her home to get a vaccination. Nelson said having visibility can encourage others to get vaccinated.
“When things happen in the open, where there’s a lot of traffic around you,” Nelson said. “I think it’s always good to see it and see other people doing it.”
The Department of Health hopes to use DASH to help during public emergencies.
We can send DASH to get out to the community after a flood or any natural disaster. So we’re very happy to have it,” Wills said.
It is available in the mobile clinic Vinton Public Library Tuesday, October 18th. Click here For more information.
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