The new Santa Clara County-run mobile health clinic on De Anza College\u2019s campus represents a full-circle moment for state Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens.<\/p>\n
Ahrens said he didn\u2019t have access to healthcare for most of his life. As a Foothill-De Anza Community College District trustee, he initiated the idea of a brick-and-mortar health clinic on campus. Santa Clara County Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga said although the plan was approved, no funding was allocated for it.<\/p>\n
After the COVID-19 pandemic and the Trump administration\u2019s HR1 budget cuts exposed the need for basic health services in the county\u2013especially among community college students\u2013Ahrens, the district\u2019s board of trustees and other nonprofit leaders landed on the idea of creating a mobile clinic to flexibly meet the region\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re meeting everyone where they are so that they can focus on what we want them to focus on, which is getting their education and reinvesting in that notion that when they get this education,\u201d Ahrens said in an interview. \u201cIt is the greatest social mobility that we could every give anybody in the state of California.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mobile clinic, operated by Santa Clara Valley Healthcare, will provide health care for adults age 18 and older with no appointment necessary. In addition to students in the community college district, the clinic will serve low-income residents of Cupertino, Los Altos, Saratoga, Sunnyvale and West San Jose. It is equipped for treating minor illness and injuries, family planning services, physical exams, health screenings, adult vaccinations and referrals to specialty care. The clinic is part of a year-long pilot program and is scheduled to be at De Anza College every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Most health insurance plans are accepted, but the clinic may charge for services.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe at the county are facing huge budget challenges, so people might say this is not a time to start something new, and yet, here we are,\u201d said Abe-Koga at a press conference for the clinic\u2019s opening on May 8. \u201cWe\u2019re able to find creative solutions during these difficult budget times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cupertino City Councilmember J.R. Fruen acknowledged that this is the only public health clinic in the city, save for some that deal with workplace injuries.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe city doesn\u2019t have the resources, at least on its own, to be able to meet that need,\u201d Fruen said.<\/p>\n