Successful Weight Loss

Mobile Urgent Care Goes Where Help Is Needed

By Dominique Martin


Although controversial federal legislation is allowing many previously uninsured Americans to buy affordable medical insurance, a substantial number still are still unable to do so. They often cope with chronic financial struggles, and for many in that situation seeing the doctor is a last resort. Mobile urgent care helps those who need it the most by bringing top-quality medical personnel and facilities to local residents.

Brick-and-mortar urgent treatment centers have traditionally been a recommended alternative for patients seeking a less-costly option to visiting a standard emergency or trauma center located in a hospital. Without insurance, the cost of emergency treatment skyrockets, wait times routinely last multiple hours, and there is little follow-up. Urgent need centers routinely treat common ailments and injuries, have access to lab tests and x-rays, give physicals, and more.

For people unable to see a doctor regularly, a mobile office can be a more cost-effective way to receive needed help. The units are generally in remodeled recreational-style vehicles outfitted for medicine, including the latest equipment. The staff usually includes nurse practitioners as well as doctors, and some have even added dental services for those with urgent problems.

Although the worst of the recession seems past, not everyone has shared in that reality. There is a considerable penalty for enduring years of minimal health maintenance, such as experiencing the current wave of diabetes. Many people are minimally aware that they may have the symptoms, but have not yet developed neuropathy, blindness, or lost an extremity to infection. For them, a traveling doctor brings not treatment, but also longer-term monitoring.

Most have few restrictions on who may or may not become a patient. From children requiring vaccinations or treatment for common ailments like ear infections, to the elderly without financial resources, there is no litmus test deciding who may or may not receive help. In areas with large populations of new immigrants, politics are routinely set aside in favor of helping all people enjoy the benefits of good health.

In addition to urgent treatment, some units are also designed to help people who have been hospitalized, but receive little follow-up after discharge. Having this resource come to them measurably cuts recovery times, limits the number of post-hospital infections, and supports family members acting as caregivers. Patients living alone often find that these services give them greater peace of mind.

Without this type of program, many patients would receive little or no personalized medical attention. Doctors and practitioners not only assess and treat symptoms, but also provide current information regarding nutrition and diet, dispense prenatal advice, and help parents keep child immunizations up to date. They provide information for young adults on safer sex and STD transmission.

A single vehicle can provide help for more than four thousand people per year, and in many service areas demand is still increasing. Health screenings and educational information for those not currently ill helps prevent many problems while keeping costs in line. Whether patients have had problems finding stable, long-term housing or are coping with aging issues, this type of care helps fill the gap.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment