CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice recently announced that $800,000 in CARES Act money would be allocated to Charleston Area Medical Center to create a mobile treatment facility.
CAMC spokesman Dale Witte said the initial effort would be to use the unit for COVID-19 testing.
“When the vaccine is more available to the public, it could be used to administer vaccinations,” Witte said.
Hospital officials envision the unit at first being used specifically to respond to COVID-19 activities in the most remote places in southern West Virginia, but it could also become a useful outreach tool in other areas.
Witte said the unit could be equipped to travel to rural areas and provide basic healthcare treatment or health screenings. Another plan would be to eventually use it as a mobile classroom to provide resources for training in various programs which is currently administered by CAMC at their facilities in Charleston.
Witte compared it to the Red Cross disaster units which are dispatched to areas and provide relief in times of crises. CAMC engaged in a lot of that work during the 2016 flood as best they could.
“We took pop-up tents and went to Clendenin to provide shots, screenings, and minor first aid to those who couldn’t get to the hospital. This would make it a lot more effective in those emergency situations,” he said.
Witte said once the money is received it will take time to build the unit and get it outfitted for work, but he believed the timeline to have the unit in service would be a matter of weeks. The hospital leaders believed the sooner, the better.
“A lot of these places have medical care, but maybe not an infectious disease specialist on staff. We have those and we could help them by allowing CAMC to provide that kind of support more efficiently and more effectively,” he said.