Winnebago Industries Specialty Vehicle Division is responding to a need for more mobile medical units as national opioid addiction rates rise in wake of COVID-19.
A report by Wall Street Journal noted the rise in addiction rates since the pandemic began.
The mobile units are built on Winnebago 33-foot Class A commercial platforms, with custom floorplans and quiet lithium-ion batteries in place of traditional generators. Featuring a small waiting area, counselor room and patient exam room, the clinics are staffed with a peer navigator, certified addictions counselor and a nurse.
Twenty-five Colorado counties can access preventative care, screenings, chronic disease management, substance-use disorders services and behavioral therapy via the units. A population of nearly 1 million in areas surrounding Alamosa, Colorado Springs, Greeley, Steamboat Springs, Pueblo, Wheat Ridge and other towns can access the clinics’ preventative care. The goal is to serve 300 people each week.
“Together with our state partners and service providers, we are able to bring critical treatment and outreach services to rural communities which have lacked substance use disorder service options, but have seen intense need,” Signal Behavioral Health Network CEO Daniel Darting stated.
Winnebago partnered with Signal Behavioral Health Network, Colorado’s largest managed services organization, to deploy five vehicles, with another unit deployed in partnership with West Slope Casa, a network of health providers on the western slope. All units were funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA).
“The need for mobile medical vehicles is constantly growing, and while mobile medical vehicles have been around for half a century, evolving technologies have enabled these vehicles to offer unprecedented levels of quality, technology and services,” Winnebago Industries Specialty Vehicle Division Director Robert Kim stated. “We are thrilled to see our vehicle platforms being used to combat the opioid crisis. Mobile services have grown in popularity in recent years because they truly enable healthcare providers to extend their reach and engage people in their environment. We are excited to see Signal’s results as they engage in this new approach.”
Winnebago Industries Specialty Vehicle Division produces commercial vehicles that combine their SuperStructure construction with experienced craftsmen to provide the ideal platform for many end-use applications. For the past two years, the company has worked with Boston officials to deploy a unit for at-risk individuals in the Boston area.
