In the fall of 2019, Wake Forest Baptist Health started providing free health care to uninsured individuals, via the mobile health clinic. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community Health Alliance (CHA) is working to increase capacity to care for uninsured adults in Forsyth County from one day per week to four days per week, as well as strategically positioning the mobile clinic in communities disproportionately affected by health disparities, hunger, and COVID-19. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, both health and food inequities will become more prevalent.
Our program is working to address both health disparities and hunger in a meaningful way, involving both community voice and community partners to support our most vulnerable neighbors in Forsyth County.
The Community Health Alliance provides the following services to uninsured adults each week at NO COST to the patient in the mobile clinic through community collaboration:
- Primary and urgent care (both appointments and walk-in)
- Referrals for mammograms
- Referrals for eye exams and glasses
- Nutritionist counseling
- Pharmacist support
- Prescriptions
- Primary care labs
- COVID-19 testing for symptomatic patients
CHA is a service line of BestHealth and uses the Wake Forest Baptist electronic health record to enroll new patients into Wake Forest Baptist for care. Wake Forest Baptist also supports the clinic by providing volunteers each week, including medical and physician assistant students who help with patient intake and counseling.
The Fresh Food Rx program is also led by CHA, and integrates all ages, from children to older adults, into a program that provides weekly produce boxes. The FFRx program showcases how community-academic partnerships can improve the health of communities by accessing healthy, locally grown produce through the provision of food prescriptions for patients and families who identify as food insecure. The program also provides education and recipes in weekly food boxes to help with healthy eating behaviors.