The county health department is hitting the road, literally.
The Johnson County Health Department plans to offer mobile clinics and upgraded response to disasters with the purchase of a vehicle that will act as a mobile command center.
The health department received a $57,000 grant from the Indiana State Department of Health to buy the mobile command vehicle, said Betsy Swearingen, director of the Johnson County Health Department.
Department leaders plan to use the vehicle to respond to emergency situations throughout the county and allow the health department to host mobile clinics, which is a service the health department has been unable to offer, Swearingen said.
The health department does offer some immunization clinics at the department’s offices in Franklin. The emergency response vehicle will allow the department to go mobile, offering clinics during outbreaks, Swearingen said.
"During the (Hepatitis A) outbreak, it would have behooved us to have it," she said.
The vehicle is a GMC truck with an enclosed back, which will allow patients to climb into the back and receive medical care in privacy. The vehicle has an awning that can be pulled out and is similar to a food truck in design, Swearingen said.
The truck was formerly owned by the FBI. A New York company approached the local health department with the idea to use the truck, and the department decided to purchase it to offer more services to county residents, she said.
"We just felt that response vehicles are always in need and this one presented itself for an incredibly reasonable price," Swearingen said.
County and department leaders are working on protocols for when the vehicle is deployed, including in emergency situations. Before that can happen, the vehicle’s emergency lights need to be removed, and it will be wrapped in the Johnson County Health Department logo.
