Mobile Medical
The Incredible Ways Mobile Medical Care Played a Role in COVID Relief
April 5, 2021
In 2020, COVID-19 pushed the healthcare system to the brink. With thousands of people needing medical attention on any given day, hospitals and clinics worked at max capacity as they struggled to keep up with the huge number of severely ill patients. Not only did COVID push the physical restraints of building space and equipment, but it also caused healthcare workers to work long hours -often without a break for weeks at a time.
During this pandemic, mobile medical vehicles have played a vital role in providing relief. These clinics, which can be customized to meet almost any medical need, are crucial in assisting hospitals, clinics, and medical workers.
Keep reading to learn the life-saving ways mobile medical care played a role in COVID relief and why they will be vital in the future.
Heading to the Frontlines
Throughout the pandemic, the needs of communities continue to ebb and flow as the virus surges in waves. In the middle of a peak wave of COVID case rates, many medical clinics and hospitals became overwhelmed.
A huge issue became how to continue to provide ongoing healthcare services in the midst of trying to treat recently infected patients.
In this way, mobile medical clinics provided life-saving assistance. With their ability to set up anywhere at any time, these clinics can travel to the frontlines, responding to surges in the virus.
Not only that, but this allowed doctors to access patients in underserved communities or those who were homebound. With the elderly at high risk, mobile medical care became an integral service to ensure the safety of these patients.
Providing Relief to Exhausted Staff
COVID has required doctors and nurses to work hours far beyond what they are used to. In many places, mobile medical vehicles were used to provide a safe place for staff members to catch a quick nap or take a short break.
At the height of the outbreak, this was extremely important in keeping staff healthy and capable of carrying on their critical work. Mobile medical units could be stocked with healthy food choices, cots for sleeping, and areas to rest and debrief.
Similarly, mobile medical units deployed to assist with hospitals that are over capacity could be staffed with nurses and doctors from around the country. These healthcare workers often came from areas with low COVID rates and could then take the place of exhausted staff members.
Offering Mobile Testing Options
Early on in the fight against COVID, it became clear that more testing was necessary to track the virus and to try to mitigate against potential outbreaks.
To administer more tests, mobile medical units were often set up in parking lots to provide drive-thru testing sites.
This not only created a more efficient testing process but also kept potentially infected patients out of normal clinics, helping to reduce the potential spread of the virus.
Allowed for Remote Routine Services
When cases were spiking, many patients were hesitant to go to a brick-and-mortar location for routine medical services. Mobile units made it possible to provide medical services without the necessity of sitting in a waiting room with potentially COVID infected patients.
For example, many corporations hired mobile medical units to host flu vaccinations in their parking lots. This made it easier for employees to get vaccinated without entering a building or even leaving their own car.
Mobile medical vehicles make it possible to offer low contact medical services, which has proven to be beneficial in cutting down the transmission of the virus.
Transitioning to Meet Any Need
One of the number one benefits of a mobile medical vehicle is the versatility of the unit. Even dentistry vehicles were able to transition to meet specific needs during the pandemic.
With a few quick changes, any mobile medical clinic can be outfitted to handle a variety of medical services.
The following are just a few examples of how mobile clinics can be repurposed in the time of need:
- A mobile dentistry clinic can be used to carry COVID tests to a drive-thru site
- A bloodmobile can be used to promote blood drives for hospitals that no longer have the capacity to host blood drives in their building
- A mobile medical unit equipped with the right refrigeration can be deployed to carry life-saving vaccines to remote locations
A Brighter Future with Mobile Medical Clinics in It
During the past year, mobile medical clinics have helped save the day for many communities. With their ability to transition based on the needs of an area paired with the fact that they can be driven to any location, it is easy to see why the future is brighter with more mobile medical clinics in it.
Undoubtedly, we will see more viruses on the horizon that have the potential to greatly impact the healthcare community. For this reason, investing in mobile medical clinics will be a critical component of preparing for whatever might lie ahead.
At Summit Bodyworks, we can help you customize a mobile medical clinic to meet your community’s needs in both the present and the future. We can work with you to design a vehicle that will help provide life-saving healthcare services for underserved populations and those who are homebound. Together, we can build a brighter future where mobile medical units play a vital role in the well-being of our population.
