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Regional health providers tell Needles council mobile clinics, telehealth and local partnerships are expanding services
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Summary
Tri State, IEHP, San Bernardino County Public Health, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and Colorado River Medical Center briefed the council on mobile medical and dental units, telehealth expansion and efforts to recruit specialists for rural Needles, while residents urged better transportation and crisis‑response options.
Regional health providers and county public‑health officials told the Needles City Council on Tuesday that new mobile clinic services, telehealth and a regional collaboration aim to expand specialty and dental care for residents who now travel hours for treatment.
Jeff Williams and Grace Pappt of Tri State Community Healthcare said Tri State — a federally qualified health center that has operated in the area for nearly 15 years — is expanding services and will provide a fuller update at the council’s January meeting. "We've been here for almost 15 years working as a federally qualified health center," Williams said, adding Tri State now offers dental, mental‑health and optometry services and community programs such as fresh‑produce distribution and holiday meal deliveries.
Marcy Puffy of Inland Empire Health Plan said IEHP added several rural communities to its service area in 2022 and has roughly 1.5 million members across Riverside and San Bernardino counties. IEHP described a network expansion fund and a new rural area support collaborative that meets monthly in Needles to coordinate provider recruitment, telehealth access and in‑person resources.
"One of the main reasons Patrick asked us to come is because we started what's called a rural area support collaborative," Puffy said, noting the collaborative includes county public health, the hospital and local partners.
San Bernardino County Public Health (Dr. Sherry) described a mobile‑unit program funded by state grant support that provides one full medical unit, one full dental unit and a hybrid unit stationed in Needles. "Our medical mobile unit is here serving the community every Thursday," she said, describing services such as urgent‑care style visits, medication refills and health screening.
Andrew Goferick, CEO of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, said the county hospital is building an "integrated community health" program that would bring subspecialty telehealth, cardiology and neurosciences to rural partners and use mobile technology to arrange local appointments and follow‑up care.
Bing Lam, CEO and pharmacist at Colorado River Medical Center, emphasized CRMC’s 24/7 emergency services and local imaging and lab capabilities, while acknowledging limits such as the absence of an MRI unit. "We are the ones that live here, work here, do what we do for our community," Lam said, adding the hospital is coordinating with county and regional partners to expand outreach and mobile services.
During public Q&A, residents and council members raised transportation and behavioral‑health gaps. One resident, Peggy Sue Voswick, described making multiple long trips for specialty care after her son’s injury and after changes in Medi‑Cal enrollment. Another resident asked whether providers in nearby Arizona could be contracted; IEHP representatives said California licensure requirements and contracting constraints present hurdles but welcomed referrals and connections.
Council members pressed presenters on recruiting specialists, scheduling regular mobile clinic visits and better local sign‑ups for utility assistance and other wraparound services. City staff said the county and regional partners have been pursuing grants, scholarships and incentives to encourage clinicians to practice in rural communities and that follow‑up meetings were planned.
The council did not take formal action; presenters said they will return with program schedules and coordination plans for early 2026.
