October 11, 2021

Rolling Into the Community

Central, Clinical Partners, Rural Health

Since the pandemic started, teams of CentraCare employees have been passionate about finding innovative ways to connect with communities and provide care. The goal: reach people where they are, provide the care they need, and build trust along the way.

This past week, an example of that passion was on display as the Neighborhood Access Bus made its way through the community. And it was hard to miss!

CentraCare led the collaborative effort working with Stearns County Public Health and Sherburne County Public Health. The team utilized Sherburne County Public Health’s access bus and visited a number of locations, specifically targeting areas of town where the access to healthcare or public transportation was limited, making it challenging to seek care.

Making a difference

“We’ve been working to improve vaccination access in our BiPOC communities,” said Kim Tjaden, MD. And it’s working. In one instance this past week, the team connected with a woman in an apartment complex who was so grateful for their visit. “She was a mother of a special needs child and said she never gets to leave her apartment, so there was no way she could have gotten vaccinated if we had not come to her,” explained Dr. Tjaden.

This type of partnership is making a difference, one patient at a time. It also complements the work that has taken place this past year through CentraCare’s Mobile Vaccine Team, led by Ashley Jude, program coordinator for the effort. This team has improved access to vaccine for many groups and employees across the region and the effort is highlighting the benefits of getting creative with delivering care in special circumstances.

“In the future, we hope to expand this type of outreach to address health equity challenges, such as things like childhood vaccines,” said Dr. Tjaden. “There’s a ton of opportunity.”

“In the future, we hope to expand this type of outreach to address health equity challenges, such as things like childhood vaccines.”

Kim Tjaden, MD, CentraCare

Last week, the Neighborhood Access Bus helped vaccinate 19 people, which the team was thrilled with. “It’s important for CentraCare to have a presence in our communities right now, because people want to hear from our doctors, nurses and other clinicians,” said Tjaden.  “That feeling of being able to bring care to those who need it – even just one person – has ignited a passion in all of us to make a difference.”