Health clinic on wheels filling need for COVID-19, STI testing in northern Sask.
The Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) is hoping to fill a need in northern Saskatchewan with a health clinic on wheels.
The PAGC plans to use a renovated van at pop-up clinics for COVID-19 vaccines and testing. The long-term goal is to slow the spread of sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), such as syphilis, HIV and Hepatitis C.
“What started it was actually the increase in syphilis in the province, and we wanted to have an easier way for people in our communities to receive information and testing,” said Shirley Woods, PAGC director of health and social development.
The van, called Wellness on Wheels, features artwork from members of PAGC communities. With the eye-catching visuals, Woods said she hopes the van will help people feel more comfortable learning about STIs and getting tested for them.
“Access to care can be challenging for many people, even if they don’t have the isolation factor,” Woods said, referring to Indigenous communities.
“To bring it to them will just mean that more people will be able to be tested,” she added. “A lot of times you don’t have a lot of symptoms, you wouldn’t know.”
Paved to Pines, a Prince Albert van and school bus conversion company, flipped the van into a mobile health unit.
Steven Glass said he and his business partner, Mitchell Rosko, have long wanted to contribute to better access to health care.
“We had seen, probably early last year, some of the budget cuts to safe injection sites around Saskatoon and that’s kind of what got us thinking about the need for these mobile health units,” Glass said.
He said the van, an electric vehicle, has multiple options for charging – ideal for when health care workers have to hit the road and stay for more than one day.
“These units are pretty intense. As much as it’s serving those health needs, that’s more just the storage and functionality of it. On the back end, this is a four-season, completely off-grid unit.”
The front of the van contains a staff space with a curtain. The rear has an exam table, a fridge for samples, a sink and storage.
Glass and Rosko appeared on CBC’s Dragon’s Den last year.
Aside from creating custom electric vehicles for camping and travelling, Glass said the pair hopes to show how the vehicles can contribute to more than recreation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.