Seeking to boost the city's ability to distribute COVID-19 vaccines and provide medical services to low-income residents, the Palo Alto City Council approved funding last week for a mobile clinic that would be operated by the Ravenswood Family Health Network.

The new mobile clinic will be partially funded by $354,550 in federal funds from the Community Development Block Grant program. In addition, Ravenswood has requested $150,000 from Sutter Health, which makes regular donations for Ravenswood's projects. The East Palo Alto-based nonprofit focuses on providing medical and dental services to low-income and homeless individuals.

The mobile clinic will follow that model. Once the vaccines become more widely available, Ravenswood will work with other health providers on COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. After the pandemic, it will use the mobile clinic to provide other health services to needy individuals. Luisa Buada, CEO of Ravenswood Family Health Network, told the council that the clinic will be focusing on Palo Alto for at least two days a week.

The council voted to approve the funding at a special meeting on Dec. 23. The meeting was quickly scheduled after the city learned that a new round of federal funding had just become available for distribution to local nonprofits.

In approving the funding allocation, council members agreed that the mobile clinic will fill a gaping hole in medical services for people of modest means. Earlier this year, Ravenswood completed its acquisition of the MayView Community Health Center Clinics, a nonprofit with a location at 270 Grant Ave., near the Palo Alto Courthouse, as well as clinics in Mountain View and Sunnyvale. The Palo Alto clinic is currently undergoing renovations and is shut down.

While Santa Clara County-run hospitals and clinics help fill the gap in other parts of the county, these facilities do not exist in the county's northern district, which includes Palo Alto. Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, who represents District 5 and who helped to coordinate the grant from the city to Ravenswood, noted that not a single county hospital, primary care facility or pharmacy is located in his district.

"Historically, there has been a challenge for providing health care to folks of modest means in the north county," Simitian told the council.

The challenges in getting adequate COVID-19 testing for north county residents during the onset of the pandemic further underscores the importance for cities to be proactive in partnering with health organizations to obtain the needed services, he said.

"I thought there were some lessons learned from the struggle on testing," Simitian said. "One of them was that thinking somebody else will step up and get the job done is a risky proposition."

According to the grant application, north county also has a dearth of dental services for low-income individuals. Currently, there are only seven dental chairs for all uninsured and Medi-Cal patients in north county, the application states. There is an estimated need for 70 dental chairs for this population.

Once built, the new mobile unit will have two exam rooms, one for medical services and another for dental services. It will also include an overhang to allow the clinic to provide services outside. It will have the capacity to offer COVID-19 tests to about 80 individuals per day.

"The mobile clinic will be very helpful for us to go beyond the fixed site of the clinic — to be able to go to other places and provide those services," Buada told the council.

The clinic's initial focus will be on COVID-19 testing, COVID-19 education, and the administration of flu and COVID-19 vaccines, according to a report from the city's Planning and Development Services Department. After the pandemic, the clinic will be used to provide "comprehensive medical and dental care to the homeless and vulnerable residents of the community, many of whom are uninsured or under-insured."

"Clientele will include unhoused patients with chronic conditions, and those who are racial or ethnic minorities," the report states.

The agency is also planning to partner with local homeless shelters, housing agencies and health fairs to offer services to low-income individuals.

Adding to the urgency is the fact that Ravenswood's Palo Alto clinic remains closed because of renovations, he said. Bringing on a mobile clinic will give Ravenswood the ability to respond to Palo Altans in a way "that is more robust and immediate than if the van is not there."

The council unanimously agreed to distribute the funding to Ravenswood. Before the vote, council member Greg Tanaka sought assurances from Buada that the clinic would be used primarily in Palo Alto.

"If every city gets a block grant, I think we need to make sure that services are for people in our city," Tanaka said,

Mayor Adrian Fine, in his final meeting on the council, pushed back against this logic. An argument can be made, he said, that "a wealthy city like Palo Alto can help our neighbors."

Council member Lydia Kou said she was "relieved and encouraged" about the city's move to help Ravenswood acquire the mobile clinic. During her recent volunteer work in serving meals to homeless and low-income folks, many have asked here where they can go to get tested.

"A lot of times, the places I mention to them — Mitchell Park or Stanford — there's no way for them to get there because they don't drive and they can't find a vehicle to get there," Kou said.

Council member Alison Cormack said there is an "undeniable need" for COVID-19 related services for low-income individuals.

"This has been such a difficult year," Cormack said. "The difficulties will continue, but it's comforting to know we'll be able to direct some of these funds to the people who need it."

In addition to distributing $354,550 to Ravenswood, the council allocated $54,332 to LifeMoves, a nonprofit that provides services to homeless and low-income individuals. The funds will be used to expand the hours at its homeless shelter, the Opportunity Center.

This story had initially stated that Ravenswood had received money from Sutter Health for the mobile clinic. It has requested the funding but Sutter has not yet granted it.

Find comprehensive coverage on the Midpeninsula's response to the new coronavirus by Palo Alto Online, the Mountain View Voice and the Almanac here.