Hamilton County Health Department unveils first two mobile health units

Hamilton County Health Department staff and officials stand in front of the agency’s first mobile health units.

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF)- On Tuesday, the Hamilton County Health Department unveiled its newest tool to reach the most vulnerable populations.

The Hamilton County Health Department has opened two mobile health units, one of which is specifically for homeless people.

The units will essentially be medical exam rooms on wheels, allowing the Hamilton County Health Department to conduct much of its on-site operations in the downtown area remotely.

Hamilton County Health Department Administrator Sabrina Novak said, “You can’t continue to provide services the way you have historically because the needs are different… If you have transportation barriers, what’s the easiest way to solve them? It’s not necessarily gas cards or bus tickets/passes, it’s also about providing these services to citizens where they are.”

Transportation is a key issue for the deployment of these units, as moving around the county can take up to an hour.

Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp said: “If we are going to provide the best services we can to citizens at every level of life and in every community, then we’re going to have to get creative.”

One benefit touted by county health officials is that these buses can go anywhere within Hamilton County’s 530 square miles.

They say this is especially important given the changing characteristics of Hamilton County’s homeless population over the past five years.

Karen Guinn, director of homeless health services for Hamilton County, said, “We’re seeing the population disperse for a lot of different reasons. Our clinic, and it was originally built there for a reason.”

Guinn says our homeless population does face unique health challenges.

She said: “We also have an aging homeless population and many of them have not had health care throughout their lives and so they develop chronic conditions and we understand that in order to continually manage and treat these conditions we understand that it’s a necessity.”

These units will be deployed in conjunction with local organizations to best serve the needs of these disadvantaged communities.