MEDFORD, Ore. -- La Clinica is making its mobile health center available to care for homeless people along the Bear Creek Greenway in Medford during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 40-foot clinic on wheels will be open in the parking lot behind the Medford Senior Center, 510 E. Main St., near the Ninth Street pedestrian bridge, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays as long as it’s needed.
“We obviously don’t know what’s going to happen in the next few weeks and so we’re just kind of playing it by ear right now,” said Ed Smith-Burns, the Outreach Director for La Clinica.
Staff will offer medical care for people who have no regular doctor. The team will work to connect people with support and information about other community resources.
The team offers drop-in care, serving people on a first-come, first-served basis. Payment is on an income-based sliding scale. People do not need to be La Clinica patients to seek care.
The mobile center’s usual route includes a variety of community locations, and people served are often but not always homeless, said Ed Smith-Burns, La Clinica outreach director.
“During this time, we’re aiming to concentrate our services on community need and on keeping people out of hospital emergency rooms,” he said. “We will see anybody, but we want them to go to their regular doctor if they have one.”
The medical team will also work to connect people with support and information about other community resources.