Community Health Clinic’s new medical van delivers health care to Westmoreland County residents

Community Health Clinic’s new medical van is bringing health care to people in Westmore­land County, offering covid-19 vaccinations and tests along with primary care.

Headquartered in New Kensington with additional locations in Vandergrift and Greensburg, the Community Health Clinic provides low-cost health care, offering a sliding payment scale for residents without health insurance or high deductibles.

“For the people who don’t have transportation and other issues, we can bring the health care to them,” said Raji Jayakrishnan, executive director of Community Health Clinic Inc.

Demand for covid-19 inoculation has waned recently at the clinic, which has administered nearly 1,300 vaccines, she said.

“The van can reach rural areas, which is important now to provide more residents access to covid-19 vaccines because of the spread of the delta variant,” she said.

The $100,000 medical van was made possible by a federal CARES Act grant, she said.

The van features an examination room with a phlebotomy station to draw blood and an area for checking vital signs. It has an awning for an outdoor area to administer covid-19 vaccines.

In addition to the vaccines and general health services, the van will carry staff to provide services for mental health issues, Jayakrishnan added.

The van will travel to outlying rural communities where health services such as covid-19 vaccines aren’t readily available. The first stops will be in the sparsely populated areas of Smithton on Monday and Aug. 16 and Yukon on Aug. 14. Both communities have populations numbering fewer than 600.

“The van is a game-changer,” said Diana Steck, team lead for covid-19 equity at Voice of Westmoreland, a community group that is an advocate for equal access to health care and other issues.

Steck has been working with Jayakrishnan to find ways to reach people with vaccine in outlying areas. Such residents haven’t had access to the vaccines because of a lack of transportation, inconvenience or hesitancy.

“If you are skeptical about the vaccine and you have to drive 45 minutes, you might think twice,” Steck said. “But if you see your neighbor getting it, maybe you won’t stay on the fence and will get the vaccine.”