ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System is launching a new Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) that will spend one day each week in high-need areas of Pinellas County.

The MMU is equipped with everything needed for a primary care appointment, including vaccinations, lab work, women’s health and audiology. Every time the MMU deploys, so does a team onboard that includes a doctor, RN, social worker and clerk so they can help get the veteran continuing care.

In addition to Bay Pines VA, 24 other local chapters around the country received grant funding to create the new program.

Haydee Davis, a social worker as part of Bay Pines VA’s Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team, says two of the major reasons veterans don’t seek care is because of a transportation or a money issue.

“If they can’t come to us, why can’t we come to them?” Davis said.

To tackle the transportation issue, the MMU will go to locations where veterans in need often hang out.

The goal is to have the MMU parked at a location each week so veterans who are in the area can use the new resource. On its inaugural day, the MMU was parked at Williams Park in downtown St. Pete and the team walked around the area asking if any veterans needed help.

Davis said they chose Williams Park because it was a high-visibility area and many that frequent the park don’t have a means of transportation.

“In the beginning, just to get our name out there, we’re going to have different places we go to regularly, like the park here,” Davis said while walking around Williams Park. “After that, we’re going to start to branch out to different hot spots.”

The MMU plans to make a stop Jan. 9 at The Salvation Army Downtown Corps and Cafe located at 1400 4th St. S. and then again on Jan. 16 at Pinellas Hope Tent City, located at 5726 126th Ave. N. in Clearwater.