The Providence Hood River Mobile Health Unit team happily accepted the 2006 Providence Mission Leadership Award for taking the health system’s mission to the people of Hood River County. On hand to accept the award are Moses Quezada, driver; Silvia Ochoa, medical assistant; James Arp, former Hood River chief executive; Jean Sheppard, associate administrator for special projects; Maria Elena Castro, project manager; Gary Young, mission integration director. | |
Just six months after taking to Hood River County’s road, “Mission in Motion,” Providence Hood River’s mobile health unit, received the highly prized Providence 2006 Mission Leadership Award. It is given to Providence programs that make a pay special attention to poor and vulnerable members of the community. The award was presented to Hood River’s “Mission in Motion” team at Providence Health & Services’ annual leadership conference at Skamania Lodge in late April.
The Mobile Health Unit (MHU) project was developed from the results of a countywide community needs survey Providence Hood River conducted in the fall of 2004. The most pressing need the survey pointed to was access to healthcare for over 30% of our county’s residents. They either did not know how to get basic health care or didn’t think they could afford it. “Many had little or no insurance, others had no transportation and others did not know how to access primary health care,” said hospital’s mission integration and spiritual care director, Gary Young. “We decided that if people couldn’t get to the care they need, Providence needed to take health care to them.”
That’s exactly what has been happening since last October, after hospital engineering staff converted recreational vehicle into a health clinic and it began a weekly circuit of health care stops in Parkdale, Pine Grove, Odell and Cascade Locks. More than 500 people have received care and the MHU has logged 18,000 miles since last fall. The unit is parked at the fire stations and the schools in Parkdale, Pine Grove and Odell and at Cascade Market in Cascade Locks.
“Each project submitted for the leadership award is a result of the efforts of many individuals working as a team,” said Providence Health & Services president, John Koster, MD. “They identified a need, developed a plan to address the need and utilized operational excellence and improvement tools to develop outcomes that improve patient care or service. These groups, guided and nurtured by our Mission and Values, embody the kind of teamwork that makes for truly exceptional health care that not only seeks to heal the body, but the human spirit as well.”
Just a few weeks after the MHU began its travels, a teacher, who knew one of her students had had trouble breathing since the beginning of the school year, also knew his family did not have health insurance. She encouraged his parents to visit the MHU parked just outside the school. They took her advice and within minutes he was diagnosed and treated for asthma. The MHU staff helped the parents connect to a local clinic where the whole family could receive regular, affordable care.
“ ‘Mission in Motion’ follows the vision of Mother Joseph and the Sisters of Providence, moving us beyond our own walls to care for people who need it most,” Gary continued. Traveling to the outlying towns of Hood River County, “Mission in Motion” meets residents’ immediate medical needs, connects them to a primary physician, helps them find health insurance, and charts their medical history.
In addition to its regular weekly route, the mobile health unit is available for special events throughout the county. For more information, call Maria Elena Castro, 387-6318. |
