HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The City of Tampa and Tampa General Hospital are partnering with OnMed to launch a groundbreaking healthcare solution for people in need.
The OnMed CareStation is a portable clinic designed to provide free urgent care services. It is parked at Tampa Hope and aims to make healthcare more accessible for all.
“It's got the vitals. It's got the scans. It's got the biometrics, all those things you'd expect that a clinic should give you, and it's completely portable,” Karthik Ganesh, the CEO of OnMed, said.
He said this is the first time they are putting one at a shelter, but he thinks it will play a huge role in creating healthier communities.
Inside the box there is a live clinician that pops up on a screen. That person takes the patient's vitals and can run any tests needed. There is a thermal camera to take the patient's temperature and an HD camera to get a closer look at any wounds or other issues.
“Healthier communities are wealthier communities at large and I feel it's time we need to be doing more of these," Ganesh said.
I also spoke to Eric Marrero, the program director at Tampa Hope, a homeless shelter operated by the Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg. He said the OnMed CareStation will be a game changer for the people at the shelter. He said they usually dial 911 to get healthcare help, but now they can see a doctor without leaving the shelter.
“They utilize 911 as their primary care or there way to get medical seek medical help. This being here kind of eliminates that 911 call, the many 911 calls,” Marrero said.
The clinicians can prescribe any medication or treatment needed. The ribbon cutting and blessing for the OnMed CareStation kicks off at Tampa Hope on Jan. 29 at 10 a.m.
Pasco County woman trying to rebuild mobile home after hurricanes
"I cried, of course, because I've worked very hard getting it nice, which has been difficult for me since I lost my husband and being alone,” Kelly Welty said.
Welty's mobile home lost its roof during Hurricane Milton. She said it was the only one in the Buena Vista community to get totaled by a tornado.
