A clinic on wheels is rolling through Lambton County to offer residents access to mental health and addiction services, as well as primary care.
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in Lambton-Kent recently partnered with organizations such as Bluewater Health, Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team, and North Lambton Community Health Centre to operate mobile clinics.
CMHA Lambton-Kent Acting CEO Rhonny Doxtator said MobileCare Saria-Lambton is in the process of a "soft launch" and recently started visiting area communities.
"We're just getting out there ... ironing out logistics," she said. "MobileCare was designed specifically to reach out to populations that experience barriers to care in rural and urban settings."
Doxtator said there are typically four people on board the mobile clinic: a driver, a nurse practitioner, someone from Bluewater Health's withdrawal management program, and someone from CMHA's first response team.
Beginning next week, the clinic will stop in Thedford at Village Complex and Firehall on November 7, in Watford at East Lambton Community Complex on November 8, and in Sarnia at Willies Motor Inn on November 9.
The mobile clinic will also stop at Kettle and Stony Point First Nation and Alvinston during the month of November. The clinic will be open at each location from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
The mobile clinic provides free walk-in services with no referral needed. Doxtator also said health cards are not required.
The mobile clinic currently operates three days per week.
"Like we would do with any program, at the end of three months we'll do an evaluation of how it's going and look at if there needs to be some change to the scheduling as it stands," Doxtator said.
CMHA has two MobileCare vehicles, one of which is for Chatham-Kent. MobileCare Chatham-Kent will cover areas including Walpole Island First Nation. The mobile clinic visited Walpole Island on October 24. According to the First Nation's Facebook page, the truck will visit the sports complex every other Tuesday from 12 p.m. until 3 p.m., with the next scheduled visit to take place on November 7.