A brand-new traveling health and dental clinic was unveiled Monday at the Hilo Yacht Club.
The Bay Clinic’s Mobile Health vehicle, equipped to provide medical and dental services, will travel to small communities throughout East Hawaii.
Stops, and their availability in each location, will be announced once Bay Clinic officials determine which communities have the greatest need.
“We would like to increase medical access in East Hawaii … and that’s what it was all about,” said CEO Harold Wallace.
Already on the list of potential locations for medical and dental visits are Mountain View, Pahoa, Volcano and Ocean View. If patient numbers in a particular community demonstrate unmet needs, Bay Clinic will consider establishing a permanent location there.
“We’ll definitely capture a lot of the data, the frequency of the encounters,” Wallace said.
He noted a 2015 Pacific Business News article that identified the five ZIP codes with the highest level of poverty in the state. Those five ZIP codes include Mountain View, Ocean View, Pahoa, Hawi and Keaau.
“Four of those are in the Bay Clinic services area, with the exception of Hawi,” Wallace said.
It’s critical that the four in Bay Clinic’s service area have access to medical and dental care, he said.
“And this mobile unit will enable us to do that,” Wallace said. The unit will begin visiting communities during the next month.
So far, Wallace said, “we know that we will be in Pahoa weekly.”
The approximately $580,000 mobile clinic, planned for 2 1/2 years before it was unveiled, was funded through grants from the Shippers Wharf Committee Trust, USDA/Rural Development, the Ouida and Doc Hill Foundation, the McInerny Foundation, Hawaii County, HDS Foundation, Atherton Family Foundation and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.
Mobile Heath Medical Director Dr. Chrissy Capati said staff will offer screening labs and acute and primary care service.
“It really is going to be a comprehensive traveling health service,” Capati said. The hope is to one day add telemedicine and teledentistry.
“We’re going to expand as we see necessary,” said Dental Director Dr. Brian M. Higa.
Inside the mobile clinic, viewers expressed surprise.
“Oh, my goodness. It’s like a ‘tiny house,’” said the Rev. Moki Hino of the Church of the Holy Apostles.
“Yeah, but it’s a clinic!” said Dixie Kaetsu, a former Bay Clinic board member, as the two toured the vehicle.
Alan Okinaka, chairman of the Bay Clinic board, said the planning process for the mobile clinic was “like waiting for somebody to give birth for two years.”
“It’s finally here,” he said, “but when I saw that van, I thought, ‘Wow!’ It takes awhile. But it gets here … whenever you see it driving down the highway, pop your horn. The driver will be happy.”
“We’re extremely excited about the opportunity to increase medical access for the community. We’re very, very excited,” Wallace said.
Email Jeff Hansel at jhansel@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
