In the beginning of 2020, the Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System launched its very first mobile health clinic. The 30 foot long customized vehicle provides many services at several locations with no cost, such as covid exams, covid vaccines, sport physicals, and much more to increase access to quality care and improve the health and well-being of the community. 

This mobile clinic travels throughout Salinas, Castroville, and Greenfield. They come to Alisal every Monday from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. to provide local health needs. The clinic offers families preventative and primary care, as well as simple urgent care, health screenings, immunizations, education, referral capability for chronic medical conditions, women’s health, Covid vaccines, and flu shots, all at no cost. It is designed to comfort those who are scared or unsure of getting any medical help. 

With the mobile clinic having a stop at Alisal High, it has had many patients that are students. Since August 2020, this clinic has done over 100 sports physicals for Alisal students. Raquel Padilla, a senior at Alisal High, said, “It was way simpler than I expected. I literally just told them what kind of help I needed and they helped me pretty quickly. I would recommend it to others not only because it was free of charge but also because it was very comfortable and they were very kind.”

Why a mobile clinic? CEO of Salinas Valley Healthcare system, Pete Delgado, created this mobile clinic with the goal of providing easier healthcare access to anyone. Karina Rusk, director of public relations and system communications at the Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System said, “The Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System Mobile Clinic is dedicated to improving the health of our community by increasing access to care for those in medically underserved areas, providing preventive and primary care where it is needed.”