PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Bay Pines VA is taking critical medical care on the road to help better serve at-risk and homeless veterans.
It's almost like a doctor's office on wheels that visited the heart of St. Pete on Thursday as Bay Pines VA's Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team, or "PACT" brought a mobile medical unit into the community for the first time.
"I saw it, and I said that's the VA, let me go see what they're doing," said Derrick Evans.
Staff said Evans, an Air Force veteran who's experiencing homelessness, was on the bus when he saw the mobile unit and got off to check it out.
"It means a whole lot. I'm a veteran. I want to get some services," said Evans.
He met the team with the mobile medical unit at Williams Park, meant to help target homeless veterans who might struggle to come in to get care.
"It's doctor, social worker, RN, or LPN, as well as a clerk so that if they are not connected to care, they can establish care right there, and then have that loop around so it's wrapping them in services," said Haydee Davis, a Homeless PACT social worker.
It's like what you might see at a primary care office.
"We would handle primary care medical issues such as high blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes, other things as like immunizations, simple wound care, wound care dressing changes, mental health evaluations with the homeless population," said Dr. Bernard Khaw, a physician at Bay Pines.
Staff said they're trying to restore trust to veterans who might not have access to primary care otherwise.
"Sometimes there's a stigma with the homeless veterans that they don't trust the VA, so when we come out here, we can build trust with the veteran population," said Dr. Khaw.
While the Bay Pines mobile medical unit was out in the community for the first time Thursday, staff plan to make weekly visits to hotspots throughout all of Pinellas County to continue serving local homeless veterans.
Bay Pines shared the following additional dates for their mobile medical unit:
- Jan. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. –The Salvation Army Downtown Corps and Cafe, 1400 4th St S St. Petersburg, FL 33701
- Jan. 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Pinellas Hope Tent City, 5726 126th Ave N, Clearwater, FL 33760
