By R. R. Branstrom

rbranstrom@dailypress.net

ESCANABA – Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties (PHDM) is getting ready to employ its mobile unit for the second year. 

Obtained through a grant from the NorthCare Network in 2023, the vehicle is a traveling clinic meant to make harm reduction services more accessible in the two counties the health department serves. It carries fentanyl test strips, syringes and Naloxone, all with the aim of diminishing the harmful effects of substance abuse. The long-time health department employees who travel with the vehicle provide some services and information about other helpful programs – whether those be recovery services, disease screening, immunization opportunities, pregnancy testing or WIC. 

Some screenings and shots can be administered right from the 26-foot-long mobile unit, the back of which is like a little examination room.

While the core focus of the mobile clinic is to reduce damage caused by substance abuse, it has the benefit of being able to provide many of the services the health department itself offers. While certain things can’t travel beyond the walls of PHDM’s two offices – 2920 College Avenue in Escanaba and 909 Tenth Avenue in Menominee – the mobile unit can serve as a station to bring flu clinics to rural areas, for example.

Part of the challenge in reaching people in 2024, its first full year of operation, was simply getting the word out. PHDM showed off the vehicle in the Fourth of July parade and brought it to events like the Upper Peninsula State Fair and the Menominee County Fair. 

During the Epson Tour’s Island Resort Championship (golf tournament) last year, the mobile unit was on scene to offer first aid.

As weather gets warmer and outdoor activities return, residents can expect to see the vehicle at various events in Delta and Menominee c​ounties. A thorough schedule with dates and places for the traveling clinic is yet to be determined.

People may request appearances of the PHDM mobile unit by calling the health department’s Escanaba office at 906-786-4111 or its Menominee office at 906-863-4451.