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Sun and clouds mixed. High 97F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Partly cloudy skies. Low 73F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.

The Fordland Clinic's new mobile unit had a price

tag of $150,000 and can carry 15 passengers.

The Fordland Clinic's new mobile unit had a price

tag of $150,000 and can carry 15 passengers.

If you’ve driven west on U.S. 60 in the past few months, you might have noticed some changes at the Fordland Clinic, located at the city’s east edge.

There’s the ongoing construction, of course, but that’s not the only expansion going on.

The clinic has acquired a new mobile unit after receiving a grant of $150,000 — with which it will provide vaccination, general medical and dental services to those less able to travel in our communities.

Ray Seibelich, the chief financial officer of the Fordland Clinic, explained the motivation behind the purchase.

“I’ve been in this field for 15 years now, and I would say over that time that the traveling, just getting to the doctor, has become one of the larger issues for patients now,” Seibelich said. “You wouldn’t think five miles, even a couple of miles makes a difference, but it absolutely does!” He pointed out that the ability to bring care to people could make a huge difference should a resurgence of COVID-19 occur.

“If you can’t travel due to age or infirmity or even gas prices, this allows us to bring the treatment to those who can’t come to us,” Seibelich said. This would reduce the opportunity for any virus to spread through the population.

The van has been heavily modified in order to meet the requirements its role.

“It’s a 15-passenger model, about 20-feet long, if that gives a better scale,” Seibelich explained. “There are only a few companies that do this kind of work.”

The company they chose is located in Ohio.

“The interior is divided into two spaces, one of which contains a dental chair,” he said. “We’ll be able to offer exams ... and even limited procedures in that space. They do great work up there.”

The unit’s interior is easily converted to serve as an exam room with waiting area — or one room for consultations and another for blood draws, vaccinations and so forth.

“The goal is to bring health care straight to the community.” Seibelich said. “We’ve got folks in nursing homes who can’t get to the doctor for basic wellness checks; now we can bring that service to those residents. There are health fairs all over the county where we will now have this new capability to bring to people.”

The Webster County Health Unit also has recently acquired a mobile health unit, and the two organizations plan to coordinate their availability and application.

“We work together on a lot of things, and this is another example of that.” Seibelich said. “Being able to reach out to areas without local health care — this mobile unit is a big deal for us.”

The mobile unit will be undergoing inspection and licensing next week, and after that, it will hit the road.

“We’ll have a schedule up very soon. There will be regular availability,” Seibelich concluded. “And definitely by this fall, we’ll be up and running.

“There are health fairs and school openings. We’ll get quite a bit of use out of it.”

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