Care-a-Van Provides Access on Wheels
OSF HealthCare is shaping the future of modern, on-demand care. We are excited to announce the addition of a new resource for the communities in and around Vermilion County – access to health care on wheels through the new OSF Care-a-Van.
The OSF Care-a-Van is a mobile health center staffed by OSF HealthCare, connecting residents with screenings, dental clinics, immunizations and health education, and even assisting with tasks such as signing up for health coverage and exploring advanced care planning.
The addition of the OSF Care-a-Van is made possible by a generous gift by the Julius W. Hegeler II Foundation.
“The Care-a-Van was a wonderful gift from the Hegeler Foundation to serve the patients of Vermilion County, and really allows us to go out to meet the patients where they're at – to meet their challenges with health care, to give them security that we’re here for them as OSF, and to really just take health out into the community," explained Jennifer Compton, vice president of ancillary services at OSF HealthCare Sacred Heart Medical Center in Danville, Illinois.
"Julius Hegeler was a very philanthropic person, and cared deeply about community here in Danville, and not only that, but the well-being - the medical side of things. He's made it possible for us to have this wonderful Care-a-Van for our community," added Debbie Michenfelder, director of philanthropy at OSF Sacred Heart.
The OSF Care-a-Van will travel to where people work, pray and play to connect patients to care when they might not be able to get to the doctor on their own – or even know where to start when they have a health need.
By building relationships with employers, churches, schools and community agencies to break down obstacles, the OSF Care-a-Van will help connect patients with the appropriate level of care and get them on the road to better management of their health.
“Working in the Community Resource Center, the department where we help people link to different resources in the community, we see a lot of need for transportation to get to and from places,” said Jake Ozier, manager of the Community Resource Center at OSF Sacred Heart. “People don't always have the same access and the same abilities to get to places, so the Care-a-Van can go to them, go to their neighborhoods, go to their churches, go to the schools and serve them where they're at.”
The OSF Care-a-Van will begin serving patients in Vermilion County this spring.