SPOKANE, Wash. — During a trip to Spokane Wednesday, Gov. Jay Inslee made several stops, including at CHAS Health's newest clinic.
The Parkside Clinic on East Mission Avenue will open to patients in late February, says health equity director Shelby Lambdin. Though Inslee's visit focused much more on the care CHAS is providing patients outside of four walls.
“Wow, this is cool!” the governor exclaimed as he ascended a set of steps onto one of CHAS's two mobile health units.
The mobile health program, which has been hitting Spokane's streets since 2021, is growing and changing medicine in the city.
“It shows we want to see people and we want to help them because we are absolutely bringing it to them," one provider said during the tour.
“We know access is one of the biggest barriers to healthcare," Lambdin said.
These clinics on wheels are mobilized to local libraries, community centers, and other places often accessed by Spokane's unhoused or underserved populations. Lambdin says that can include people who struggle with transportation or who otherwise couldn't get to a clinic site themselves.
The mobile units aren't CHAS Health's only ambulatory form of medicine. The agency has also employed street teams for around two years; medics equipped with backpacks stocked with medical supplies, including opioid overdose drug Narcan, can bring care anywhere it's needed. Those teams build trust with clients, who are often unhoused.
“Providing services in shelter sites, under bridges, along the river, quite literally bringing the care to the individuals that need it," Lambdin said.
Inslee praised the CHAS team for its innovation.
“It makes sense to keep people out of the emergency department. It makes sense to have this kind of system available to law enforcement as well. Having this available when there’s law enforcement response can really help, too," he said during a roundtable discussion.
Providers also send referrals to actual clinics if patients have chronic conditions or require follow-up long-term.
Gov. Inslee said he'd like to see this program statewide.
“We love what you’re doing, that’s why I put two million dollars in the budget to expand these operations," he said.
Though that budget may not include all of the governor's ideas on bringing health care to the people.
“Well you’ve got everything here but a pizza oven," he joked as he exited the bus, garnering a laugh from members of the CHAS team. "That would be nice."
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