When an uninsured patient can expect to pay fees well north of $100 for a simple checkup — a figure that increases exponentially if anything is actually wrong — getting quality health care becomes a luxury few can afford.
Now, uninsured adults and children in Santa Cruz County can get medical care for just $15 per visit, through a partnership between Dominican Hospital of Santa Cruz and local Rotary groups.
In October, the Mobile Wellness Clinic hit the road to take affordable medical care and prevention to those who might not have access to it. The $350,000 custom-built medical motor coach is staffed by a fully licensed physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, registered nurse and community health coordinator.
The clinic on wheels operates four days a week and makes stops in Scotts Valley, Felton, Aptos and Santa Cruz. It offers vaccinations, tests and lab work, all included in the $15-per-visit fee.
The operation represents the fruition of 10 years of work by Sister Michaella Siplak of Catholic Healthcare West, recently renamed Dignity Health.
“It was her dream,” said Beatriz Walsh, a registered nurse. “She kept pushing and pushing to make this happen.”
One of the side effects of a slow economy, Walsh said, is that hospitals are seeing a sharp increase in emergency room visits by people who lack insurance and whose medical conditions have gone untreated.
Walsh said the notion that paying for a visit to the doctor could mean no gas in the car or less food on the table meant that some were ignoring easily diagnosed and easily treated problems until they worsened enough to require an emergency room visit.
“We are focusing on prevention,” Walsh said. “We could be taking care of those patients in a clinic setting rather than use emergency room resources.”
The mobile clinic charges patients a flat fee per visit that includes all tests, X-rays, vaccinations and lab work prescribed by the physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner.
“There’s not many places where you can get as much care for $15,” Walsh said. “We can see any type of patient, from babies to seniors.”
According to Community Health Coordinator Esther Bustos, the clinic has been seeing 15 to 25 patients per week and is equipped to perform a litany of tests, from diabetes to lipids and anemia.
Boulder Creek resident Dana Fowler pulled his daughter from school early for a recent checkup he otherwise might not have been able to afford. He said he heard about the clinic from a friend, who was also impressed.
“So far, it sounds good,” said Fowler, who paid $30 for medical checkups for him and his daughter. “It’s kind of nice, since we don’t have health care.
“Just to walk inside (a doctor’s office) door anymore is $100.”
Walsh urged people not to put off medical treatments or checkups and to use the clinic as a resource.
“If you’re not feeling good,” she said, “come see us.”
At a glance
What: Dominican Hospital Mobile Wellness Clinic
When: 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday
**Monday: Resurrection Catholic Church, 7600 Soquel Drive, in Aptos
**Tuesday: Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, 515 Frederick St., in Santa Cruz
**Wednesday: San Agustin Catholic Church, 257 Glenwood Drive, in Scotts Valley
**Thursday: St. John’s Catholic Church, 5953 Highway 9, in Felton
Info: 457-7166
