Mobile Clinic Launched to Serve Mental and Maternal Health Needs in South Suburbs

After years of advocating for public funding, Twin Green of The Link and Option Center has launched a mobile clinic to serve the south suburbs.

Green took the initiative due to insufficient funding, raising $600,000 through private donations to purchase the clinic bus. She continues efforts to secure $900,000 in additional funding to ensure long-term operation.

Named ‘Carry,’ the clinic will operate in areas like Harvey, Dolton, Riverdale, Markham, Robbins, Chicago Heights, South Holland, and Hazel Crest, four days a week. It aims to deliver 2,000 mental health screenings and 300 to 500 maternal health visits annually. Various local municipalities and healthcare centers, including Thornton Township, Rich Township, and Cook County Health, will host the clinic.

The mobile clinic will provide a wide range of services: prenatal screenings, maternal wellness checks, mental health assessments, postpartum depression screening, addiction support, monitoring for diabetes and hypertension, trauma-informed counseling, and referrals to OB-GYNs and hospitals, regardless of the patient’s insurance coverage.

Accompanying the clinic will be a crisis response van to offer immediate behavioral health support where necessary.

Green’s experiences and observations over two decades in her community inspired the mobile clinic initiative, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when mental health issues became more prominent. Witnessing people struggling at local stores prompted Green to offer help, though she recognized the need for direct delivery of services.

She noted the importance of creating low-effort access to care for individuals who are reluctant to visit traditional facilities, saying, “These are the very people we need to reach.”

Several officials, including State Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin, State Sen. Michael Hastings, and Cook County Commissioners Kisha McCaskill and Donna Miller, expressed support for the clinic during its unveiling.

Miller emphasized the shortage of Black healthcare professionals, supported by data from the Association of American Medical Colleges showing less than 6% of U.S. doctors are Black or African American. She highlighted the need to train future professionals within the community and stated her commitment to pursuing federal funding for mental health services.

(Olivia Stevens/Daily Southtown)