VAN BUREN — Carter County’s Health Center reaches into the community in a more responsive fashion than ever.
The facility in late August purchased a mobile medical clinic thanks to a successful grant application submitted by the center’s administrator, Michelle Walker.
A 2013 graduate of Three Rivers University with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, Walker supervises a staff dedicated to public service.
“Our staff members wear many hats,” the administrator said. “We have six full-time members and two part-time (people).”
With a population of nearly 6,000, Walker said the addition of the $140,000 mobile clinic is a blessing to both the center and the community.
“It’s a wonderful benefit for us,” Walker noted. “We’re able now to get further into the community where people are, which is something we were unable to do for the last few years.
“We have the ability now to partner with law enforcement during emergencies,” she emphasized. “Medical providers, in general, are scarce. Carter County is no different. Our first event we’ll staff with the mobile command center is Oct. 8 at the Carter County Fall Fair at Van Buren.”
Walker said fair volunteers and law enforcement all might work from the unit, and members of her staff are slated to educate and demonstrate services publicly.
While excitement overflows regarding the mobile unit, Walker, who studies to earn her master’s degree in public health from AT Still University, said the health center at 1611 Health Center Road, Van Buren, continues to offer a wide variety of health care opportunities for its clients.
“Our emphasis is on preventive care,” she said. “We can’t do primary care, which is strongly needed.
“It’s hard for people here to get physicians’ appointments,” she added. “We can’t write prescriptions. Our focus is on preventing disease and related health concerns.”
The center provides several different Sars-2Covid tests, as well as vaccinations and education.
“We have a drive-thru COVID testing facility for rapid testing,” Walker said. “We do PCR testing, too. We have daily testing.
“Walk-ins are fine but appointments are preferred. We don’t really have an accurate grasp on the number of tests happening because so many people test from home now. If people come in for a COVID test, chances are we’ll give them a stack of home tests they can use at home.”
In addition to Sars-2Covid tests, the center offers vaccinations and education.
“Tuesday and Thursday are vaccination days here,” she said. “Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments help us a great deal. The vaccine needs to thaw. So if we have an idea of the number of people coming in for immunizations, we have a better idea of how many doses we need to lay out in preparation.”
Walker mentioned the center’s family planning was limited in the past by funding difficulties. However, a nurse practitioner is on hand the third Wednesday of every month to offer women cervical cancer examinations.
“There just was no access for specific funding,” Walker said. “Our family planning funding is sourced from general revenue. We’re working toward a family planning clinic soon. It’s important for our area and vital for people’s health.”
Sexually-transmitted diseases (STD) are more common than ever, the administrator said.
“Syphilis,” Walker said. “Syphilis is on the rise here in Carter County.
“It used to be chlamydia and gonorrhea,” she noted. “But syphilis in the teens to middle adult age group, say teens to 25 or 30-year-olds, has increased dramatically. We teach prevention. Most all STDs are easily prevented.”
Walker said the center helps people apply for temporary Medicaid, provides childhood immunizations “all the time,” including back-to-school clinics at schools, and tuberculosis (TB) screenings.
“We haven’t seen a case of TB in 11 years,” she said. “That’s a very good record.”
At the Carter County Health Center, clients might take advantage of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) by appointment or walk-in on Mondays and Wednesdays, diabetic nutrition education and laboratory blood screens.
“A physician’s order for blood work is required,” she said. “Depending on income and insurance, most lab work is about $20. That cost varies, depending on the specific screens. But we do most any lab work necessary, send the samples to the lab and the results go to the patient’s doctor.”
The Carter County Health Center at Van Buren is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and can be reached at 573-323-4413 or 800-869-4086.
For further information, please visit the website, cartercountyhealth.org.
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