Hawaiʻi's first fully electric mobile medical clinic is now open on Maui, operated by the nonprofit Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies.
The organization works to improve access to maternal, child and reproductive health care — a current critical need on Maui.
Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Executive Director Sunny Chen said the clinic is based in Wailuku but can travel to those with limited transportation access.
“We've got a team of midwives and nurse practitioners who provide services and a whole community of community health workers, social workers, mental health therapists to wrap around families with all the support that they might need, when they're going through, from pre-pregnancy all the way through, when their babies are young,” Chen said.
“Because we're Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, a lot of people don't realize we also provide a lot of services for people who are not pregnant or birthing, if they need things like STI screening or other services related to reproductive health, we're able to service and fill that gap as well.”
The organization also offers support for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
“We work with 30 to 40 community partners and doctors who refer [patients] to us and other types of providers who refer to us to get client services that maybe they have a little bit difficulty with access to care and access to social services,” Chen added.
“So in bridging that gap between social determinants of health and being able to provide families with essentials, like food, diapers, doula services and things like that, we also bring in that clinical care component.”
The mobile clinic was built by Grounded, a Michigan-based company that creates sustainable technology vehicles. It is equipped with an intake area, adjustable bed for exams, kitchenette, toilet, storage and refrigerated storage for medication.
A rooftop solar panel can generate enough energy on a sunny day to fully power air conditioning without drawing from the vehicle battery.
“Grounded’s proprietary modular system offers a library of components that can be swiftly configured in more than 100 ways to meet the needs of clients across many healthcare verticals,” said Grounded CEO Sam Shapiro.
“We are about to begin manufacturing a micro-fleet of mobile dental clinics, and look forward to continuing to extend sustainable health care access to those who need it most," he continued.
Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies has a second mobile clinic on Maui that travels to more remote communities like Hana. The organization also has mobile clinics on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island.
