Mobile mental health clinic brings relief to rural counties in eastern North Carolina

Beginning Monday, a mobile health clinic will travel to medically-underserved rural counties in the northeastern swath of North Carolina.

It aims to provide help to people with mental health and substance abuse.

The clinic will be operated by doctors and nurses from Trillium through a partnership with Monarch, a non-profit organization that caters to people with mental disabilities and drug dependency. Trillium is a local government agency that manages people with serious intellectual and developmental disabilities in eastern North Carolina.

The mobile clinic was formed to target people in underserved counties without access to transportation or technology for tele-medicine.

It will rotate between Northampton, Halifax, Nash and Gates counties. Patients can pay with most health insurance or Medicaid.

Director of Operations Todd Posey says people who never had the opportunity for this type of assistance before will now have access to it.

“Understand Gates is one of two counties in the state of North Carolina where there are no doctors, like there’s no doctor’s offices in the county," said Posey.

Posey added that there haven't been enough options available for people without access to transportation or technology for tele-medicine in those counties as well.

“This will be a clinic coming to those communities where they can access services there, if they don't have technology, they can get service on the vehicle, you know, they may access services by coming to the vehicle when we're in the area,'' said Posey.

Patients with a smart phone and internet connection can use the services remotely from the comforts of their home.

The clinic will stay in each county for two days.

It will also give treatment to people with opioid use disorders. The initial treatment stage of that induction requires that those patients be seen two days in a row.

The clinic will operate from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. People can call (866) 272-7826 to schedule appointments. Walk-in appointments are also accepted.

Below are the locations and dates of the clinic.

• Monday, May 23 and Tuesday, May 24: Halifax County, The John 3:16 Center, 407 E. End Avenue, Littleton. 
• Wednesday, May 25 and Thursday, May 26: Northampton County, Garysburg Community Center, 504 NC 46, Garysburg.  
• Tuesday, May 31: Gates County, Gates County Community Center, 130 US Highway 158 West, Gatesville.  
• Wednesday, June 1 and Thursday, June 2: Nash County, Bailey Pharmacy, 6311 Deans Street, Bailey.

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