One of the best-kept secrets pertaining to health in the Bradford community is located twice a month in a downtown parking lot with services including COVID vaccines.
Since October, the Adagio Health Mobile Health Unit has been located in the Episcopal Church of the Ascension parking lot at 26 Chautauqua Place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. As the mobile unit is just a short drive from Cattaraugus County in New York state, patients from that state are also welcome as walk-ins, officials said.
Services offered include pregnancy testing, reproductive health and preventative care, basic infertility testing, birth control, STI testing and treatment, cancer screening, HIV screening, and COVID-19 vaccines more recently. A number of services are available regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.
Ascension secretary Barb Winslow said the church was contacted in September by Adagio Health officials who were seeking a location to set up in the community twice a month to provide services. Officials said the company received a grant for the mobile unit to provide services in rural and underserved areas. There are 12 regional counties, including McKean County, that were identified in the grant as being in need of Family Planning and other services.
Winslow said church vestry members approved the endeavor in September and the Adagio unit began setting up the 36-foot long unit twice a month beginning in October.
Winslow said the church, which provides free lunches every Thursday, had inquiries about the mobile unit from lunch recipients.
“One girl said, ‘Oh my goodness, I can finally go somewhere and get (services)’ because she didn’t have health coverage,” Winslow remarked. “I think this is awesome.”
A woman who had received services Wednesday said the staff at the mobile unit were very congenial and helpful.
“It’s wonderful in there, they’re very nice,” the woman said of the Adagio staff. “The reason I know about this (mobile service) is because I walk all over this town since I don’t own a car.”
The woman said what attracted her to the unit initially is that she could receive the COVID vaccine, which she hadn’t been able to receive until that time.
In addition to screenings and tests, she was also able to receive her second COVID shot.
“So I’m good to go,” the woman said as she headed off down the street.
For more information on Adagio Health, call 1-800-215-7494.
