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The Chambers County Community Health and Wellness Center will have a public open house on April 26. From 2 to 5 p.m. CT, the community is invited to take a tour of the facility and enjoy a demonstration of the OnMed care station.

Students and faculty from Auburn University will answer questions about future healthcare programs held at the center. 

Extension agents will also be hosting activities for children. As a partner of the center, the LaFayette Fire Department will be at the open house for Touch-a-Truck. 

“We just want to make sure everybody is aware of what is there and what the center is all about,” said Chambers County Extension Coordinator Rachel Snoddy. 

The open house will also have food trucks. There will be giveaways during the event. Those who haven’t done a demo yet can check out the care station. 

The center offers free telehealth clinic visits to the community until May 1. The station is open 7 days a week and requires no appointments. 

“We want to have some of these like sort of community events where people can maybe feel more comfortable coming out to see if they’re just curious … Maybe they just want to come in and check it out and ask them questions,” Snoddy said.

The OnMed station is equipped with remotely activated equipment to take patient vitals as well as infrared and HD cameras that help clinicians examine the patient. 

During the visit, which is large enough for multiple people or a wheelchair, the LCD glass windows of the care station become opaque to ensure patient privacy. The station self-cleans using UV lighting afterward. 

All data storage and transfer is HIPAA compliant with advanced encryption technology. 

The OnMed telehealth care station aims to address the healthcare needs of rural and isolated communities. Auburn nursing and pharmacy students will offer health screenings, vaccinations and other resource programs at the center. Many residents of counties don’t have access to primary care either due to lack of providers or transportation.

According to the National Association of Community Health Centers, more than 100 million Americans don’t have access to primary care, and a third of those are children. 

In Chambers County, 79 to 100% of the population is medically underserved. Medically underserved individuals include medically disenfranchised groups who don’t have access to primary care to a shortage of providers in their community. 

Alabama is number four in the states with the greatest percentage of residents who are medically disenfranchised.