BALTIMORE — The sign on the mobile unit reads “Care Happens Here.”
Those who signed up for it at the Harlem Gardens Senior Living facility, like 72-year-old James Gray, can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“I was waiting to see how long it was going to take to get this vaccine because so many of us need this vaccine,” Gray told us.
Shortly after the pandemic struck, LifeBridge Health traveled to see more than 300 of its own patients and found half of them suffered from underlying chronic medical conditions and nearly a third of them hadn’t seen a doctor in more than a year.
Now, it’s expanding its scope to others and hopes to build upon the vaccines that its offering here today.
“We’ll be vaccinating approximately 45 people today,” said Program Director Dr. Michael Kiritsky, “Over the coming weeks and months, we will be launching a variety of services utilizing the mobile van that will include things such as well visits for patients, blood pressure checks, potentially diabetic retinopathy screening and all those types of necessary services.”
An outreach program that has reached some of those with fading hopes of ever getting the shot that could save their lives.
“Now that I got the shot, I feel a whole lot better. I feel good,” said Gray, “I hope it turns out good for everybody. It’s something we all need.”
