¡Salud! Adds Mobile Unit to Expand Health Care Services to Vineyard Stewards

Since 1992, Hillsboro Medical Center Foundation's ¡Salud! Services has provided free exams to vineyard stewards in the very fields they tend.

Traveling over 6,000 miles each year, ¡Salud!'s mobile unit enables its bilingual, bicultural medical staff to deliver preventative health care to worksites across Willamette Valley.

Now, the innovative program is welcoming another mobile unit to help it go the extra mile for its patients.

Officially called "La Madrina" (translating to godmother in Spanish), this brand-new unit is four feet longer than ¡Salud!'s original vehicle and features a pocket door that provides separation for vineyard stewards to receive private, personalized care.

The new unit also includes a dual-climate control to ensure patient comfort in all areas of the unit, two HEPA air purifiers and a leveling jack to make the exam space level regardless of the terrain on which the ¡Salud! team serves its patients.

In 2023, ¡Salud! treated 2,094 registered patients, provided 669 vaccinations and offered 83 mobile wellness clinic days. These no-cost wellness clinics include screenings for cholesterol, blood glucose, blood pressure, body mass index and other health indicators.

With La Madrina, ¡Salud! Services will be able to reach even more patients.

"La Madrina provides us the flexibility to expand outreach services in Willamette Valley and to other viticulture areas of the state," says Leda Garside, clinical nurse manager for ¡Salud! and Cultural Liaison at Hillsboro Medical Center. "And most importantly, it allows us to continue bringing excellent mobile health early intervention services right to where vineyard stewards and their families live and work."

The original unit will still be utilized by the ¡Salud! team, along with a recently purchased cargo van to carry extra equipment and supplies.

"Today, we have three vehicles in our fleet each customized to our program needs, which enables us to deliver the best quality care possible," notes Stephanie Buchanan, Manager of Development & Communications at Hillsboro Medical Center Foundation. "The growth of the program is 100% thanks to donors, and stands as a testament to the power of community collaboration in addressing local health care challenges."

Take a Virtual Tour of La Madrina »

About Hillsboro Medical Center

For more than a century, Hillsboro Medical Center has ensured that the people in our region have access to quality health care. One of the largest employers in the area, including more than 400 doctors and health professionals, our clinics and service area extend throughout Washington County. As an OHSU Health partner, we offer access to the most specialized care, residency programs, advanced research, as well as community outreach and education programs. We are proud to serve as the center of health and wellbeing in the community we call home.

About ¡Salud! Services

¡Salud! Services strives to make healthcare accessible and affordable for vineyard stewards and their families by delivering no-cost care right to the vineyard. Wellness clinics are staffed by bilingual, bicultural employees of Hillsboro Medical Center, an OHSU Health partner and include screenings for cholesterol, blood glucose, blood pressure, body mass index and more. Outside of mobile clinics, ¡Salud! offers year-round customized support for each patient with education, navigation and financial assistance to knock down barriers, empower and connect people to the care they need, when they need it.

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