New mobile medical clinic on the road to reality

Palm Desert, CA (October 27, 2023) - The Desert Healthcare District and Foundation (DHCD) Board of Directors approved a vendor agreement and grant of $1,057,396 to Desert Physicians Medical Group (DPMG) to operate the new mobile clinic.

In addition to the District’s first mobile clinic, which was unveiled in December 2022, Desert Physicians Medical Group will operate the mobile clinic from a second trailer the District purchased following their July 25, 2023 Board meeting. With the approval of this grant, the bare trailer will be retrofitted with equipment and supplies necessary to assist underserved patients from Mecca to Palm Springs.

 “We envision the new clinic as an extension of the current clinic, doubling our capabilities to serve the entire community,” said Chris Christensen, Desert Healthcare District and Foundation interim CEO. “The Mobile Medical Trailer is a traveling medical clinic that allows DHCD and its partners to deliver more services to more people equitably by bringing care to where they live and work.”

Benefits of the new clinic include the addition of a pharmacy component, behavioral health services, and a ramp to provide access for wheelchair-bound and other immobile patients. The second mobile medical trailer is expected to be out in the community serving patients/clients in early 2024.

At the October 24 Board meeting, the Board also moved forward on several other important community grants. The grants provide Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine with $478,400, Alianza Nacional de Campesinos with $57,499, and Voices for Children with $81,055, enabling DHCD’s partner agencies to serve the needs of the Coachella Valley Community.

To find additional ways Desert Healthcare District and Foundation is impacting the local community, please visit https://www.dhcd.org/

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The Desert Healthcare District is a local government agency formed in 1948. Its mission is to achieve optimal health at all stages of life for all District residents. The District includes more than 400,000 residents and encompasses the entire Coachella Valley. The District and Desert Healthcare Foundation, together, are one of the largest funders in the valley. These funds are used to assist residents — especially the underserved — in accessing vitally needed resources, such as primary and behavioral healthcare. Learn more at dhcd.org.