Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Division Street Mobile Clinic topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Division Street mobile medical unit opens; partners say usage is slow and transportation limits access
Summary
A mobile medical unit offering methadone and other services has started at 2030 Division Street through a three-party agreement between Whatcom County, tribal partners and the City of Bellingham; county and provider representatives said uptake is slow and transportation barriers are limiting clinic access.
Whatcom County and tribal and city partners have launched a mobile medical unit at 2030 Division Street that dispenses medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), behavioral health and related services, but staff and providers said client visits have been slow and outreach and transportation remain barriers.
Dan and county staff described the service as a three-party arrangement—Whatcom County, the Swinomish tribe and the City of Bellingham—with a ribbon-cutting held about three weeks before the March 11 meeting. Bev Keys, identified in the discussion as the clinic's executive director, and Leon John, described in the meeting as a tribal senate member and outreach coordinator, were named among the local contacts who helped bring the mobile units to Whatcom County.
Meeting participants said the mobile units are 34 feet long, are built on chassis by the provider and dispense methadone and Suboxone from the rear of the vehicle. The mobile dosing operation required Drug Enforcement Administration approval before it began, and staff said the mobile unit returns to Anacortes each night, which limits dosing hours. Meeting speakers described the advertised clinic hours as 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday, and stated MOUD dosing was being provided 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday and Saturday; staff present said methadone dosing on the mobile unit is limited to those hours because the vehicle must return to its home base daily and that other medication-assisted-treatment services might be provided in the clinic at other hours but that those were not fully clarified at the meeting.
County staff and partners described active coordination with local providers: Pioneer Human Services and Compass Health are cited as providers operating at the nearby Anne Deacon Center for Hope, a one-minute walk from the mobile unit. Several participants suggested shuttles or scheduled rides to Division Street to increase access; the meeting record notes a regular bus stop in front of the Anne Deacon Center for Hope served by three routes, 13 stops per day. The county's Response Systems Division noted an internal transportation specialist who coordinates rides across more than 60 agencies and can be scheduled to provide transportation.
Speakers said outreach has included flyers, ribbon-cutting media coverage and provider ride-alongs; a county staff member said pastors and outreach teams are distributing information, and Bellingham Herald and Cascadia Weekly covered the ribbon cutting. Participants proposed adding flyers to Narcan "leave at home" kits and distributing materials to fire departments and EMS crews.
No policy action or new funding was adopted during the meeting; participants asked staff and partners to continue outreach, clarify dosing and service hours, and coordinate transportation options to improve access to the Division Street site.
