First mobile clinic launches in Windsor

The Windsor Essex Community Health Centre (weCHC) has officially launched the area's first mobile clinic in Windsor, on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. (Bob Bellacicco / CTV Windsor)

WINDSOR -- The Windsor Essex Community Health Centre (weCHC) has officially launched the area's first mobile clinic.

A ceremony was held Thursday morning to introduce the initiative while also marking the 10-year anniversary of the organization.

weCHC on Wheels is a 38-foot mobile clinic that provides primary care, illness prevention and system navigation.

Executive director Rita Taillefer says the clinic was identified as a need for people who do not utilize traditional means of health care in Windsor-Essex.

"We know that many factors prevent some people from accessing the care they need so we will bring the care to them," says Taillefer. "Accessing health and social supports is the key to helping individuals manage their wellbeing."

The clinic is being funded by a $25,000 grant from the Local Health Integration Network.

Dubbed a "walk-in clinic on wheels", the unit has a private room for client discussion, a full examination room and will provide primary care to residents across the region.

weCHC is made up of six physical locations throughout Windsor and Essex County.

Board president Kathryn Hengl says the organization has undergone tremendous growth in the last 10 years.

That includes the consolidation of diabetes care, the expansion of their Street Health location, opening a location in Leamington and now the mobile clinic.

Hengl says they would not be able to achieve the growth without their staff who have put patients first and embraced the reality that healthcare is ever changing.