MISSION VIEJO : Mobile Health Unit Makes a New Round

Even as she dealt with the daily challenge of finding enough food and clothing for hundreds of needy South County residents, Adopt-A-Neighbor founder Kathryn McCullough knew it wasn’t enough.

For more than five years, McCullough looked for a way to provide health care to those who found their way to Adopt-A-Neighbor’s storefront, at 25651 Taladro Circle in Mission Viejo.

Last month, she got her wish as the South County Community Clinic’s Healthmobile van began offering medical care at the outreach center.

“This is priceless,” McCullough said. “You would not believe how many people need health insurance and have gone without visiting a doctor for a long time.”

The van will visit Adopt-A-Neighbor every Thursday, providing badly needed shots, checkups and tests, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. Two other sites in San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente are also served by the mobile clinic.

McCullough said nobody will be denied health care, although appointments will be required.

“At the site we can provide a full spectrum of care,” said Dr. Thomas Bent, medical director of the South County Community Clinic, a nonprofit group based in San Juan Capistrano. “We’re certainly limited in procedures like minor surgery, but 90% of primary care can be done on-site.”

Many people served by the mobile clinic are middle class, McCullough said.

“When times get hard, health insurance goes before food and shelter,” she said. “But when they let their health go and get sick, they can’t work, so it’s a vicious circle.”

Information and appointments: (714) 581-6802.