SPRINGFIELD, OH - Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine today introduced a new mobile health clinic in Springfield that will make healthcare services more accessible for all residents throughout the community.

“The mobile clinic will supplement and expand many of the primary healthcare services that are already available here in Springfield and throughout Clark County,” said Governor DeWine. “Our mission is clear: we will eliminate the backlogs and reduce the wait times for everyone who needs care.”

The new mobile health clinic arrived in Springfield this morning and began serving community members this afternoon – exactly one week after Governor DeWine announced he was directing the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) to work alongside the Clark County Combined Health District (CCCHD) to acquire and operationalize a mobile health clinic to better manage the demand for healthcare services in the area.

Springfield’s healthcare system has been under significant pressure due to the influx of thousands of Haitian migrants over the past several years, resulting in longer wait times for appointments and delayed care. State and local health leaders fear it has discouraged some residents from seeking care at all.

The mobile health clinic will begin by targeting the pressure points currently causing the greatest backlogs, initially offering seasonal vaccinations, vaccines for COVID, flu, and RSV, as well as blood pressure screenings.

“It’s imperative that the residents of this community – adults and children alike – receive services that prevent and treat illness and chronic conditions,” said ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D., MBA. “I can’t stress enough the importance of vaccines; our strongest weapons in preventing flu, respiratory illness, COVID-19, and other diseases like measles and whooping cough. The less people that are vaccinated, the more we run the risk of these contagious diseases being spread throughout the community. This mobile unit being brought to Springfield so quickly under the leadership and vision of Governor DeWine is going to be a game-changer for Springfield to be able to deliver efficient healthcare services to more people.”

The mobile health clinic will initially be stationed at Clark County Combined Health District and operated by local health district staff, with additional support from ODH.

“Before the mobile health clinic arrived in Springfield, the wait time for immunizations at our local health district offices has been two months. With this new resource now in place, we anticipate quickly being able to reduce rates to two weeks, and eventually same-week or even walk-in visits for seasonal vaccines,” said Chris Cook, MPH, REHS, Clark County Health Commissioner. “I’d like to see this mobile health clinic inspire people in our community who have not seen a doctor in awhile to reenter the healthcare system. We want to be a bridge that gets people in the routine of checking in on themselves so they can be healthy for a long time.”

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Members of the community can make an appointment today by visiting https://mobile.clark.health or by calling CCCHD at 937-390-5600.

Appointments are currently available on the following schedule:

- Monday: 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.

- Tuesday: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

- Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

- Thursday: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

- Friday: 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Appointments: https://mobile.clark.health

After relieving the primary pressure points, ODH and CCCHD plan to make additional healthcare services available, including more primary health services, plus maternal health services, infant health and wellness, and more. Additionally, over the coming weeks, CCCHD will begin driving the mobile health clinic to various other locations throughout the community to provide proactive healthcare support in high-need areas.

In the coming months, ODH and CCCHD will also work together to transition from the mobile health clinic unit to a more permanent health clinic. The location and timeline of this transition is still to be determined.

“My commitment to the county and to the City of Springfield is that we, as a state, will not allow either the new mobile clinic or the permanent clinic to fail,” added Governor DeWine.

Earlier this month, Governor DeWine pledged that the state would dedicate $2.5 million toward expanding primary care access for all Springfield residents, as well as support for local public safety efforts through the Ohio State Highway Patrol. This is in addition to other support that the state has already provided to Springfield to aid in addressing the increase in the area's Haitian population, including the addition of a school-based health center for Springfield City Schools, providing driving simulators and driver’s education classes for the Haitian community, English education and translation services, and more.

Watch Governor's Press Conference (via Facebook)