DANVILLE, Pa. — Geisinger's Mobile Care Gap bus is intended to reach those who have a care gap in their preventive health. It offers critical services and screenings to help patients with diabetes manage their health.
The bus stops every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at different locations in the Geisinger footprint. Patients with care gap misses are contacted and scheduled for appointments on the bus — no walk-ins are taken. Staff members also assist in scheduling mammography and colorectal screening services. Three nurses on the bus each see up to 20 patients.
Services provided include height, weight and blood pressure checks, foot exams, diabetic retinopathy eye exams, nephropathy screening (urine collection) and any overdue lab work including phlebotomy services (A1c). Patients can also be vaccinated against pneumonia and flu, when needed.
“In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it closed the care gap on our diabetic population. Patients were missing critical yearly eye exams, kidney checks and blood tests used to monitor how well people are managing blood sugar levels,” said Brandie O’Neil, care gaps mobile nurse health coordinator. “This highlighted the need for a full-service diabetic population care bus to provide patient care to those who need it most. It really turned into something special to be able to serve our patients with diabetes.”
The team plans to continue care year-round. During the fall and winter months, when the bus may not be appropriate, the mobile nurses will go into clinics to continue closing diabetic care gaps.
Geisinger’s Mobile Care Gap bus is one of four mobile units in service. Patients served include those on Geisinger Health Plan, which includes Geisinger Gold (Medicare Advantage)
