The Hamilton County Health Department is launching two new mobile units aimed at providing health care and social services directly to local communities, County Mayor Weston Wamp announced Tuesday.
The goal of the initiative is to increase health care accessibility among the county’s homeless population.
The Women, Infant and Children program will be among the services provided. The program offers nutrition education, nutritious foods, breastfeeding education and support and referrals to women, infants and children who qualify, according to the health department’s website.
Public health looks different in 2024 than it did 20 and 40 years ago, or even 60 years ago when the current Hamilton County Health Department was built, Wamp said at a news conference.
“I think this is the next frontier, where, in a dynamic way, we can get so many of these public servants out of the walls of the health department into neighborhoods,” he said.
Wamp said in a news release his office has a renewed focus on the county’s health department and is prioritizing initiatives connecting young families and senior citizens with resources for healthy living.
“By meeting citizens where they are, we are ensuring that every resident — regardless of ZIP code — has access to quality health care services,” Wamp said.
The units will have different purposes, according to the release. The first will concentrate on general health services, while the second is a traveling unit, providing health care and case management services to the county’s homeless community.
Each unit will be deployed and parked at key locations to ensure maximum reach, according to the release. No one will be turned away if they are unable to pay.
A health department spokesperson said in an email the locations and schedules for the units will be set depending on where they are needed most throughout the county.
Provided services
First mobile unit:
— Concentrates on general health services
— Vaccinations
— Health screenings
— Sexually transmitted infection testing
Second mobile unit:
— Provides health care and case management services to the homeless
— Travels to locations throughout the county
— Medical checkups
— Substance abuse counseling
— Connections to social services
Source: Office of County Mayor Weston Wamp
Sabrina Novak, the Hamilton County Health Department administrator, said in the release the mobile units are part of an ongoing effort to improve health care access and outcomes for all residents.
“By bringing services directly to the community, we can better address the diverse health needs of our residents and provide critical support to those who need it most,” she said.
At a news conference, she said the provided services, including family planning and sexual health testing, entail everything that is offered in the health department’s brick-and-mortar buildings.
Wamp said he believes the effort will make the health department more relevant in communities, as Hamilton County is “notoriously diverse” due to its geography and the challenges faced in different neighborhoods.
“My hope is that both to the housed and the unhoused, to the old and young, that these vehicles are a force of good, that they champion the services and the goodwill of the health department, but that they are also are additive to community health,” he said.
Additional information about the mobile health units’ schedules and services can be found online at health.hamiltontn.org, and people may call the Hamilton County Health Department at 423-209-8000.
Contact Leah Hunter at lhunter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6673.