Inchokma Mobile Unit travels across Chickasaw Country to provide medical care

The Inchokma (Feel Well, Be Well) Mobile Unit (IMU) will be on location at Bedré Fine Chocolates Tuesday, April 12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to provide community health care services to scheduled patients. Bedré Fine Chocolates is located on the southwest corner of I-35 and Highway 7 at Exit 55 in Murray County.

“The Inchokma Mobile Unit provides improved access to primary care, prevention and wellness services outside of formal clinic settings,” said Heather Summers, population health manager for the Chickasaw Nation. “The individuals who use this service may live in remote areas or do not participate in more organized or routine health services.”

Patients from newborn to geriatric receive care onboard the IMU. Similar to traditional clinics, medical care includes exams to identify or prevent chronic disease, vaccinations, and behavioral health screenings.

The scope and complexity of care may include primary preventive health care, sports physicals, overall chronic disease management, non-emergent same-day care, medication management, patient and family education, point of care testing, limited specimen and culture collection, and immunizations.

“The Inchokma Mobile Unit provides services on a self-contained mobile clinic that is operated by trained individuals,” Summers said. “There is a trained mobile unit supervisor who oversees the IMU mechanical and physical operations, a nurse who assists with a range of duties from health screening to education and a medical provider.”

The Chickasaw Nation launched the IMU to make health care services more accessible to children, elders and families in rural Oklahoma. As a primary care health unit, the IMU travels across the Chickasaw Nation offering basic health care services to everyone.

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, there is an ever-increasing burden of chronic diseases that disproportionately affect certain populations. Common public health concerns that affect First Americans and rural Oklahomans at a higher rate include Type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and mental health issues such as suicide.

Through the use of advanced technology, all IMU visits are documented per Chickasaw Nation Department of Health protocols and guidelines. Electronic documentation is entered into the electronic health record.

A patient’s medical history can be viewed and updated during IMU visits. If advanced medical attention is required, referrals can instantly be made to the many specialty clinics located within the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center or Chickasaw Nation satellite clinics.

“The IMU offers improved access to primary care, prevention and wellness services to eligible patients outside of formal clinic settings,” Summers said. “Routine exams, annual wellness visits, hospital discharge follow-up, immunizations and non-emergent same-day care are just a few of the services that are offered through the IMU.”

The IMU is a new unit that was secured through the use of emergency COVID-19 funding received by the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health. It replaces an older unit. The new unit is equipped with two exam rooms.

COVID-19 protocols will be followed for access to the IMU. These include mask wearing and social distancing. Only one patient and support person will be allowed in the unit at any given time.

For more information, contact (580) 272-1327.