On a scorching afternoon, Lisa Rogers peered out from the shade of a tree on a sidewalk in Hollywood and spotted a white RV-type vehicle with the words “Saban Community Clinic” on the side.
She had never seen a clinic-on-wheels in 20 years of homelessness, and decided to see if she could get help there for a painful rash.
With mobility issues and schizophrenia, Rogers, 44, rarely sought out medical treatment, even though she had a host of serious health problems.
She was exactly the type of person that the new mobile clinic and lab is trying to reach.
Saban started its street medicine program in 2017 and last month acquired its Ford 550 diesel with a clinic retrofitted much like an RV.
Saban’s mobile teams served 22,558 patients in 2021 with an average of more than five visits each. Staff conducts cancer screenings, HIV tests, dental and psychiatric care, and sexual health checkups. They treat COVID-19, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, wounds and STDs.
Read the full article: Doctors’ new tool to treat homeless people: A medical clinic in a van
