Selected Podcast
Mobile Health Clinic: Bringing Care to our Communities
Featuring:
Learn more about Orlando Rodriguez, M.D.
Orlando Rodriguez, M.D.
Family Medicine is a natural fit for Orlando Rodriguez, MD—one shared by his brothers and sisters who are also physicians. Caring for entire families and individuals from birth to end-of-life, he finds it rewarding to go beyond treating them when they are ill to helping them prevent disease and live a healthy life.Learn more about Orlando Rodriguez, M.D.
Transcription:
Scott Webb (Host): Primary care, simple urgent care, women's health, health screenings, immunizations, and health education. You might think that I'm listing all the services that you'd find at a hospital, but I'm actually listing some of the services that are available in Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System's Mobile Health Clinic.
And joining me today to tell us all about this amazing mobile initiative is the Director of the Clinic, Dr. Orlando Rodriguez. This is Ask the Experts from Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. I'm Scott Webb. So Doctor, thanks so much for your time today. We're going to talk about the SVMH Mobile Health Clinic, which is really exciting and a great initiative, and folks are going to want to know all about it, and hopefully you've got all the answers for them.
So, please tell us about the clinic. Why, when did it begin and how it's really helping to serve the community?
Orlando Rodriguez, M.D. (Guest): Under the leadership of our CEO, Mr. Pete Delgado, and our Board of Directors, our healthcare system recognized that there were medically underserved communities in Monterey County. And we wanted to bring medical services to this community. And that is why we started our mobile clinic. Our mobile clinic, is staffed with a nurse practitioner or a physician assistant, we have a medical assistant, a licensed clinical social worker or a community health advocate. We're also very proud of the fact that many of our staff speak Spanish, which is such a necessary need in the areas that we serve. The mobile clinic started providing medical services to our community members in approximately January of 2020.
Host: So, what a great initiative, sounds like it's going well. And maybe for folks who haven't been inside the clinic, maybe you can paint a picture for us. What's it like? What's it look like? Maybe just describe it to us.
Dr. Rodriguez: So, our mobile clinic is a state of the art clinic. It is a 30 foot vehicle and it was brand new when we got it in 2020. It has two exam rooms. It has wifi capability. Also has the capability for us to do laboratory tests in the unit and educational functionality. We also have handicapped access and the ability to store vaccines for those vaccines that we administer.
Host: So that's great. Let's talk about the types of services that folks can have done there, administered at the clinic and the cost associated.
Dr. Rodriguez: Yes, absolutely. We provide many different services and I will just go through some of them. In primary care, we take care of chronic illness like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. We are very much into preventative health care. So, we do health screenings. As I mentioned earlier, we do in-house lab testing. We also act like an urgent care, a simple urgent care. We take care of patients with fevers, viral illnesses, lacerations, sore throats, rashes, urinary tract infections, abdominal pain, basically anything that is a simple urgent care. We do a lot of health exams and also sports physicals for kids in high school that are playing sports.
We pride ourselves in trying to vaccinate anyone who is deficient in vaccines and here during this COVID pandemic that we've had, we've been very much focused on helping the community in those areas of COVID, including COVID testing and vaccinating against COVID. We also do a lot of health education and where needed, we connect patients that have chronic illnesses with other medical resources that they may need to care for their illness. We also try to connect patients with any resources that would benefit them for their wellbeing.
Host: You know, I'm listening to you, Doctor. I'm thinking I want one of these in my area. My daughter needs a physical for high school next year. Folks in the area are so lucky to have this mobile resource, you know, at their fingertips. So, let's talk about who can receive services, where they can find the mobile clinic and so on.
Dr. Rodriguez: Scott, let me start out by saying, first of all, that our services are completely free to everyone that comes in. So, we don't want finances to be something that prevents people from getting medical care. We are basically scattered throughout Monterey County. On Mondays, from 3:30 PM to 8:00 PM, we're in Alisal high school. And the address there is 777 Williams Road Salinas. On Tuesday mornings, so we move over to north Salinas and we're at the Walmart on 1800 North Main Street. And we're there from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM. In the afternoon, we're at Everett Alvarez high school, and that's located at 1900 independence Boulevard in Salinas. And we're there from 2:30 to 6:00 PM. And Wednesday we move over to south county and from 11 to 1:00 PM, we're in the city of King Park in the corner of South San Lorenzo Avenue and Division Street. And then in the afternoon, we move up a little bit north to Greenfield and we're there from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM in the Greenfield Family Resource Center, which is located 4 93 El Camino Royale Greenfield. Then on Thursdays, we are at the Martin Luther King Family Resource Center at 925 North Sanborn Road in Salinas. And we're there from 12:00 PM until 7:00 PM.
Host: You know, Doctor, I'm sure you can remember the time, I'm 53. So, I remember when, you know, patients had to go where the doctors and nurses were right. That the medicine and the care and all of that didn't come to us. And so it's really amazing. Not only, you know, being spread out through the community, different days, different times to try to accommodate everyone's work schedules and so on, but you speak Spanish and it's free of cost. Everybody is welcome. It's just, it's truly amazing. And you've referenced COVID so we should probably talk about that. I assume you're doing COVID testing, administering vaccines. Also want to ask to folks need to make an appointment?
Orlando Rodriguez, M.D. (Guest): Walk-ins are absolutely welcome, but if you want to make an appointment, you're more than welcome to schedule an appointment. And if you do want to make an appointment, you want to call 831-676-7189 or 831-737-6579. But as you clearly pointed out, Scott, we are absolutely no charge to everyone. And I also would like to state the fact that we see everyone regardless of age or migratory status.
So, is the mobile clinic doing COVID testing? We are absolutely doing testing and giving vaccines. And for those patients, if they're coming in to get a vaccination only, we ask that they make an appointment and that they call 831-676-7189 or 831-737-6579.
Host: Yeah. And as you say, walk-ins are welcome, but for certain things, make an appointment. You've given the phone numbers there. You are a wealth of information. I mean, you have everything right at your fingertips. You're like the dream guest. This is amazing.
Dr. Rodriguez: Thank you, Scott.
Host: As we wrap up here, Doctor, anything else, just takeaways about the mobile health clinic, how it can help members of the community, members of your staff and the hard work they're putting in and so on.
Dr. Rodriguez: Yeah. So, a couple of comments, first of all, again, to reiterate the fact that we're here to serve the needs of the community and that everyone is welcome to be seen in our mobile clinic. But we do ask please that the patients wear a mask when coming for services and please that they social distance. Cause we want to make sure that our staff and our patients are safe. And we have to thank the Sally Hughes Church Foundation, the Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System Service League, the Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Foundation, and all the other donors for helping to pay for this mobile clinic and to keep it running. And of course we have to thank the community for making this possible.
Host: Absolutely well, as I said, you're the dream guest. This is such important information to get out there. Such a cool initiative of bringing the medicine and the state-of-the-art facility for free and speak in Spanish. Everybody's welcome. You ask very little, you know, of members of the community, wear a mask, keep your distance and so on. So, fantastic. So great to speak with you and you stay well.
Dr. Rodriguez: Thank you, Scott. And you have a great day yourself. And thank you for inviting us here.
Host: For more information on the mobile health clinic and where it provides services, please visit svmh.com/mobileclinic and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
And if you found this podcast to be helpful, please be sure to tell a friend, neighbor or family member and subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and check out the entire podcast library for additional topics of interest. This is Ask the Experts from Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. I'm Scott Webb. Stay well, and we'll talk again next time.
Scott Webb (Host): Primary care, simple urgent care, women's health, health screenings, immunizations, and health education. You might think that I'm listing all the services that you'd find at a hospital, but I'm actually listing some of the services that are available in Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System's Mobile Health Clinic.
And joining me today to tell us all about this amazing mobile initiative is the Director of the Clinic, Dr. Orlando Rodriguez. This is Ask the Experts from Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. I'm Scott Webb. So Doctor, thanks so much for your time today. We're going to talk about the SVMH Mobile Health Clinic, which is really exciting and a great initiative, and folks are going to want to know all about it, and hopefully you've got all the answers for them.
So, please tell us about the clinic. Why, when did it begin and how it's really helping to serve the community?
Orlando Rodriguez, M.D. (Guest): Under the leadership of our CEO, Mr. Pete Delgado, and our Board of Directors, our healthcare system recognized that there were medically underserved communities in Monterey County. And we wanted to bring medical services to this community. And that is why we started our mobile clinic. Our mobile clinic, is staffed with a nurse practitioner or a physician assistant, we have a medical assistant, a licensed clinical social worker or a community health advocate. We're also very proud of the fact that many of our staff speak Spanish, which is such a necessary need in the areas that we serve. The mobile clinic started providing medical services to our community members in approximately January of 2020.
Host: So, what a great initiative, sounds like it's going well. And maybe for folks who haven't been inside the clinic, maybe you can paint a picture for us. What's it like? What's it look like? Maybe just describe it to us.
Dr. Rodriguez: So, our mobile clinic is a state of the art clinic. It is a 30 foot vehicle and it was brand new when we got it in 2020. It has two exam rooms. It has wifi capability. Also has the capability for us to do laboratory tests in the unit and educational functionality. We also have handicapped access and the ability to store vaccines for those vaccines that we administer.
Host: So that's great. Let's talk about the types of services that folks can have done there, administered at the clinic and the cost associated.
Dr. Rodriguez: Yes, absolutely. We provide many different services and I will just go through some of them. In primary care, we take care of chronic illness like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. We are very much into preventative health care. So, we do health screenings. As I mentioned earlier, we do in-house lab testing. We also act like an urgent care, a simple urgent care. We take care of patients with fevers, viral illnesses, lacerations, sore throats, rashes, urinary tract infections, abdominal pain, basically anything that is a simple urgent care. We do a lot of health exams and also sports physicals for kids in high school that are playing sports.
We pride ourselves in trying to vaccinate anyone who is deficient in vaccines and here during this COVID pandemic that we've had, we've been very much focused on helping the community in those areas of COVID, including COVID testing and vaccinating against COVID. We also do a lot of health education and where needed, we connect patients that have chronic illnesses with other medical resources that they may need to care for their illness. We also try to connect patients with any resources that would benefit them for their wellbeing.
Host: You know, I'm listening to you, Doctor. I'm thinking I want one of these in my area. My daughter needs a physical for high school next year. Folks in the area are so lucky to have this mobile resource, you know, at their fingertips. So, let's talk about who can receive services, where they can find the mobile clinic and so on.
Dr. Rodriguez: Scott, let me start out by saying, first of all, that our services are completely free to everyone that comes in. So, we don't want finances to be something that prevents people from getting medical care. We are basically scattered throughout Monterey County. On Mondays, from 3:30 PM to 8:00 PM, we're in Alisal high school. And the address there is 777 Williams Road Salinas. On Tuesday mornings, so we move over to north Salinas and we're at the Walmart on 1800 North Main Street. And we're there from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM. In the afternoon, we're at Everett Alvarez high school, and that's located at 1900 independence Boulevard in Salinas. And we're there from 2:30 to 6:00 PM. And Wednesday we move over to south county and from 11 to 1:00 PM, we're in the city of King Park in the corner of South San Lorenzo Avenue and Division Street. And then in the afternoon, we move up a little bit north to Greenfield and we're there from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM in the Greenfield Family Resource Center, which is located 4 93 El Camino Royale Greenfield. Then on Thursdays, we are at the Martin Luther King Family Resource Center at 925 North Sanborn Road in Salinas. And we're there from 12:00 PM until 7:00 PM.
Host: You know, Doctor, I'm sure you can remember the time, I'm 53. So, I remember when, you know, patients had to go where the doctors and nurses were right. That the medicine and the care and all of that didn't come to us. And so it's really amazing. Not only, you know, being spread out through the community, different days, different times to try to accommodate everyone's work schedules and so on, but you speak Spanish and it's free of cost. Everybody is welcome. It's just, it's truly amazing. And you've referenced COVID so we should probably talk about that. I assume you're doing COVID testing, administering vaccines. Also want to ask to folks need to make an appointment?
Orlando Rodriguez, M.D. (Guest): Walk-ins are absolutely welcome, but if you want to make an appointment, you're more than welcome to schedule an appointment. And if you do want to make an appointment, you want to call 831-676-7189 or 831-737-6579. But as you clearly pointed out, Scott, we are absolutely no charge to everyone. And I also would like to state the fact that we see everyone regardless of age or migratory status.
So, is the mobile clinic doing COVID testing? We are absolutely doing testing and giving vaccines. And for those patients, if they're coming in to get a vaccination only, we ask that they make an appointment and that they call 831-676-7189 or 831-737-6579.
Host: Yeah. And as you say, walk-ins are welcome, but for certain things, make an appointment. You've given the phone numbers there. You are a wealth of information. I mean, you have everything right at your fingertips. You're like the dream guest. This is amazing.
Dr. Rodriguez: Thank you, Scott.
Host: As we wrap up here, Doctor, anything else, just takeaways about the mobile health clinic, how it can help members of the community, members of your staff and the hard work they're putting in and so on.
Dr. Rodriguez: Yeah. So, a couple of comments, first of all, again, to reiterate the fact that we're here to serve the needs of the community and that everyone is welcome to be seen in our mobile clinic. But we do ask please that the patients wear a mask when coming for services and please that they social distance. Cause we want to make sure that our staff and our patients are safe. And we have to thank the Sally Hughes Church Foundation, the Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System Service League, the Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Foundation, and all the other donors for helping to pay for this mobile clinic and to keep it running. And of course we have to thank the community for making this possible.
Host: Absolutely well, as I said, you're the dream guest. This is such important information to get out there. Such a cool initiative of bringing the medicine and the state-of-the-art facility for free and speak in Spanish. Everybody's welcome. You ask very little, you know, of members of the community, wear a mask, keep your distance and so on. So, fantastic. So great to speak with you and you stay well.
Dr. Rodriguez: Thank you, Scott. And you have a great day yourself. And thank you for inviting us here.
Host: For more information on the mobile health clinic and where it provides services, please visit svmh.com/mobileclinic and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
And if you found this podcast to be helpful, please be sure to tell a friend, neighbor or family member and subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and check out the entire podcast library for additional topics of interest. This is Ask the Experts from Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. I'm Scott Webb. Stay well, and we'll talk again next time.