Rotary Revealed the Rotary Mobile Clinic and Handed Over the Keys to St. Clare Health Mission!

"We wanted to do something big, something that shows what will happen when the community comes together.” -Josh Mansee, Past President of Rotary After Hours and Past District 6250 Foundation Chair

In the Spring of 2020, representatives from each of the local Rotary clubs came together seeking to do a big project, locally. Area non-profit organizations were asked what they would do if they had $300,000. Nine project ideas were submitted and ultimately arrowed down to two, in alignment with Rotary's Areas of Focus. St. Clare Health Mission was one of the final non-profits and was asked to come and pitch their project to the committee. Their idea: A mobile medical clinic that can travel to the remote areas of the Coulee Region and provide health services to the working poor, uninsured, immigrant, and homeless populations. 

"There's no question about it. The one that will have the greatest impact in our community is the mobile clinic," said Rotary East member, Pat Stephens. The group unanimously agreed and the dream of bringing a Rotary Mobile Clinic to the Coulee Region began. 

The local Rotary clubs teamed-up with the goal of raising $80,000 and using the financial power of Rotary International funding to triple the total. We ended up raising more than $170,000 locally and bringing in an additional $160,000 through Rotary grants and global partnerships to create the fully-functional clinical unit in what Jason Larsen, St. Clare's executive director, and Rotary East member, calls a time of great need.

Supply chain issues caused many delays in getting the mobile clinic back home, but at the end of July 2022, our very own Josh Mansee and Marissa Dickinson along with Downtown Rotarian Dean Dickinson had the honor of traveling to Columbus, Ohio to pick up the brand new, 26' Rotary Mobile Clinic from La Boit Specialty Vehicles. After a couple of hours of orientation to the mobile unit, the papers were signed and the trio hit the road for Wisconsin. They made a stop in Evanston, IL at the Rotary International Headquarters to showcase the great work being done by Rotary in the Coulee Region. 13+ hours of driving later, they safely arrived home with the Rotary Mobile Clinic and tucked it away for the big reveal at Moon Tunes the following Thursday (August 4th, 2022). 

The custom-built mobile clinic will bring the St. Clare Health Mission services to uninsured and immigrant populations across multiple counties. Equipped with two exam rooms, diagnostic equipment, a wheelchair lift and bathroom, the clinic can provide basic medical care by volunteer doctors and nurses. The clinic has already visited places like Houska Park as well as making stops to do farm medicine in Arcadia and Tomah and sports physicals for youth.
 
The Rotary Mobile clinic symbolizes our commitment to live a life of Service Above Self. Many thanks to everyone who supported the project and to all of you who came out to Moon Tunes to welcome the mobile clinic to the region. 
 
Check out the photos of the road trip home and the Moon Tunes reveal along with the great media coverage!