To the Editor:
Island Health Care (IHC) Community Health Center in Edgartown recently received a donation of a mobile health clinic. The van arrived last week, and for the time being, it will sit alongside the building that houses the clinic, Stop & Shop Pharmacy, and IHC’s administrative offices upstairs.
This generous gift is from Duffy Health Center, our “sister” health center in Hyannis. It contains a fully equipped, DPH-approved exam room, nursing station, waiting area, and small consult space. Using the mobile health clinic on site allows us to see more patients on a daily basis, since demand currently exceeds our physical space, while we explore longer-term space solutions.
Understanding that parking in the area is at a premium and that the mobile health clinic now occupies four spots formerly dedicated to clinic parking, we have encouraged our staff to park offsite, walk, bike, or take public transportation. Each employee has been given the book “How Cycling Can Save the World” by Peter Walker (as much about the health benefits of moving/walking as it is about cycling and the environment), and can earn a small monthly stipend by reading the book and agreeing to alternative transportation. So far, 10 are participating — more than double the number of parking spaces displaced by the van — and we’re looking to eventually enroll all 31 full- and part-time employees!
Additionally, we plan to place a bike rack and benches alongside the Mobile Health Clinic for use by health center patients and customers of all businesses in the area.
Cynthia Mitchell, CEO
Island Health Care Community Health Center
