Photo by Justin Criado
The new Pittsburgh Mercy mobile medical unit features state of the art medical equipment and will serve several communities, including Northside, through its Operation Safety Net and family health center programs.
By Justin Criado
Pittsburgh Mercy Health System unveiled its new medical mobile unit Friday, Oct. 10 at its Northside branch on East Commons Center.
The 39-foot bus cost $310,000 and will be used for Mercy’s Operation Safety Net and Pittsburgh Mercy Family Health Center programs.
“I think this also lowers the threshold for people that just won’t go to a hospital or a doctor’s office,” Dr. Todd Wahrenberger said.
The RV features two private examination rooms, an external wheelchair lift, a pharmacy and a general check-up area. The program will eventually provide dental services since one of the examination rooms features dental equipment.
“All the examinations room have heating and air conditioning in them so we can operate year round,” Wahrenberger said. “There’s privacy. We can actually close doors.”
Before purchasing the new mobile unit, Mercy offered similar services out of a refurbished bread truck, but the need for medical assistance far outweighed the resources, leading to the latest RV.
“We’re hoping to see about 1,200 patients the first year,” Wahrenberger said.
The unit will be in Northside every Thursday between two different locations. From 9 a.m.-4 p.m. it will be parked at the Mercy branch at 412 East Commons in East Commons Center for outreach to the general public and persons served by Mercy Behavioral Health before parking on East North Avenue near Light of Life Ministries for outreach to the homeless who are served by Operation Safety Net from 7-10 p.m.
For more information about Mercy, an independent health provider, and its services please visit the official website.
A look at one of the two private examination rooms on Pittsburgh Mercy’s brand new mobile medical unit. The 39-foot RV made its debut Friday, Oct. 10 at Mercy’s Northside branch on 412 East Commons in Allegheny Center.
