Cempa Community Care will be launching a Mobile Clinic on Aug. 7, expanding its mission and services into the rural communities across southeast Tennessee. To celebrate this service expansion, Cempa will host a ribbon-cutting for the Mobile Clinic at the Cempa offices, 1000 E. Third Street on July 31 at 2 p.m.
"While Cempa has provided a full range of services for those with HIV and other STIs through its Community Care Clinic for years, affected patients in outlying counties without affordable or convenient transportation often lacked access to these vital services," officials said. With the introduction of a mobile clinic, Cempa is taking steps forward to provide care for this underserved population."
“By working in conjunction with a wide range of community partners, we have a great opportunity with the mobile clinic to reach, assist, and support an increasing number of vulnerable populations and regions,” said Shannon Stephenson, CEO of Cempa.
“Cempa covers 10 rural counties surrounding Chattanooga,” said Loni Howard, Mobile Clinic coordinator at Cempa.
“Patients in those communities often have transportation issues and other barriers to care. Offering this mobile clinic to those rural counties will allow us to serve more people and allow them to get the care they need.”
Those visiting the Mobile Clinic will have access to HIV and Hepatitis C treatment, along with pre-exposure prophylaxis (or “PrEP” for short, which is a medication that has been shown to reduce the risk of contracting HIV in individuals at high risk for exposure to the virus). The mobile clinic will be staffed by a medical assistant and a nurse practitioner, as well as a phlebotomist. This will allow patients who have been previously diagnosed with HIV or Hepatitis C to have lab work done on the mobile clinic and visit with a medical provider.
“The great thing about Cempa is that we are able to help patients with the cost of treatment,” Ms. Howard said. “For us to take our services out to them is going to be a game changer, since typically they would not have access to affordable medication and care.”
To start, the Mobile Clinic will be in Bradley County every Wednesday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., parked outside the Bradley County Health Department, 201 Dooley St. SE. In future months, visits to other surrounding counties may also be added. To schedule an appointment with the Mobile Clinic, call Howard at 423-207-5831