Many of the mobile healthcare vehicles are already in use and Beebe Healthcare CEO and President Dr. David Tam says bringing them all together under one roof at The Abessinio Health Campus in Rehoboth Beach fleet marks another step in their ongoing effort to meet the public “where they are” for their healthcare needs.
Delaware’s Congressional delegation helped deliver $3.3 million in federal funding for this project and others at Beebe. They noted the impact they expect the mobile health clinics will have on the rural areas in Delaware.
Congresswoman Sarah McBride says the fleet of mobile clinics is an example of what teamwork can deliver.
“This is about meeting the needs of Delaware today and tomorrow; this is also about celebrating the best of Delaware. People working together across different fields and sectors, the private sector, the non-profit sector, the public sector, all working together to solve problems.” she told DPM.
Senator Chris Coons says that the program encourages "neighborly" behavior and encourages teamwork between the delegates and healthcare providers.
"Treating [each other] as if you were my neighbor, because you are my neighbor, is part of the power and purpose of what we're doing" he said. "This outreach is funded by earmarks. Congressionally Directed Spending. Because at the end of the day: We, your congressional delegation, trust you to know what Sussex County needs most"
The fleet originally "focuse[d] on addiction medicine and behavioral health services." according to Beebe but has since evolved to offer health screenings and primary care services.
Beebe’s Chief Health Systems Design Officer and Rehoboth native Bill Chasanov says that the idea of mobile units first began in 2021, when a partnership with Sussex County EMS and Bookmobile led to COVID vaccinations for a population that would've otherwise gone unserved.
"So, from there was really the innovation and the idea that we needed a fleet of mobile units to be able to meet patients where they are." he said. "There’s been significant growth and development here that have to be supported by many services, in particular healthcare services as well.”
Also in attendance was Artur Burroughs, a beneficiary of the behavioral health and medicine services that the mobile clinics offer.
Burroughs, a foster child from Russia, says that the has struggled with addiction for the entirety of his 20s, and because of those struggles, he found himself with a lack of resources typically needed for healthcare.
"I ran out of money, eventually, and I got, you know, into the life of crime. I ended up doing four-and-a-half years in prison. When I came home, that's when my addiction really spiraled" he said. "I told myself 'something has to change'... I moved to Seaford. I didn't have a phone, I didn't have money, I didn't have a job"
Burroughs says that the Beebe RV Outreach team was able to come to him.
"I don't have transportation. For someone to come and help my health needs was really important at the time, and it still is." he said. "It felt like family, honestly, and it still does. People like that make a huge difference in your life"
Burroughs continues to recover as an addict and says "anyone struggling with addiction: you're not alone out there, there are people and resources that will help you, and I speak from experience."
Key Young, Executive Director at Beebe Medical Foundation, says that the fleet came not just from Congressionally Directed Spending, but also from Beebe donors.
"Your partnership makes a difference. One life, one family, one community at a time" she said.
She specifically credits the Carl M Freeman Foundation as another big contributor to the fleet's success.
"[Their] early and pioneering gift, helped set this entire effort in motion" she said.
Beebe says the fleet, 5 vehicles in total, has made over 7,000 individual contacts since the program began. That includes over 1,300 Naloxone kits being distributed and around 3,000 provider and nurse visits to those without proper transportation to a Beebe location.
