HANDS Clinic of St. Lucie County Launches Mobile Healthcare Van
St. Lucie, FL---The HANDS Clinic of St. Lucie County is taking free health care on the road.
A mobile van, called Health on Wheels, has been outfitted as a primary care office that can bring staff and equipment to vulnerable neighborhoods in St. Lucie County.
“We know that many of the uninsured St. Lucie residents who are eligible for free care face transportation hurdles. They may have difficulty in getting to our main office in Fort Pierce, and so may go without the services they need,” said HANDS Executive Director Lisa Hatch. “Our HANDS Clinic volunteers are now able to bring our quality care to these individuals right in their own neighborhoods.”
The mobile van is a partnership of the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners, the St. Lucie Health Department, and the HANDS Clinic. Funding for the purchase of the van was made possible through CARE Act funds administered by St. Lucie County. It is staffed by three HANDS Clinic nurse practitioners.
To launch the mobile van, the HANDS Clinic is holding a ribbon cutting in partnership with the St. Lucie Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, February 16 at 11 a.m. at In the Image of Christ on 7th Street in Fort Pierce. The community is invited.
“This Lincoln Park neighborhood is the van’s first outreach location,” Hatch said, “so it seems the most appropriate site to celebrate its launch.” Health on Wheels will be at this location from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the option to expand the schedule as demand increases. Other neighborhoods will be added over time.
About The HANDS Clinic
The HANDS Clinic is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that provides free healthcare services to qualified uninsured St. Lucie County residents between the ages of 19 and 64. Staffed by volunteer physicians and other volunteer healthcare providers, the Clinic offers no-cost primary care and specialty care, the only free adult dental clinic in St. Lucie, vision care, lab tests, medication assistance, and health education. It also offers a full service Women’s Health program from well-woman care through pap smears, ultrasound, birth control, specialty gynecological care, and referrals for mammograms. It is located at 3855 S. US 1 in Fort Pierce. For more information, contact the HANDS Clinic at 772-462-5646, at www.HANDSof SLC.org, or info@HANDSofSLC.org.