The county of San Diego launched a brand new Live Well Mobile Office on Tuesday that will travel around the region to break through existing barriers that were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and help those who are most in need.
This mobile office is the second of its kind, equipped to deliver a wide range of county services directly to communities. The county first introduced its first Live Well on Wheels (WoW) vehicle in 2020, designed to serve as a mobile resource unit. The second Live WoW was delivered to the county on Jan. 11.
“It is almost like your entire county enterprise in a bus,” Chair of the San Diego Board of Supervisors Nathan Fletcher publicly said. “Pretty much anything that we can do as a county, we can do it in this bus, but we can bring it to you”
Live WoW provides residents access to a variety of health and community service, and an array of resources that include disaster response services and health screenings. They are also available by request to attend community events and co-host with community partners.
According to the county, the needs of the community continue to grow beyond their current capacity. During a Jan.25 San Diego Board of Supervisors meeting, two more Live WoW vehicles and a Mobile Public Health Laboratory were approved to provide further resources and services to those with the most need.
According to a county board letter, the laboratory on wheels will assist the Public Health team in the field during community testing, vaccinations, and other clinical and preventive services. The vehicle will perform molecular and sequencing tests during outbreaks to provide critical information within a short timeframe and provide services to communities with limited access to services.
According to the county, the two Live WoW vehicles are approximately $1,350,000, and the costs to procure the mobile Public Health Laboratory vehicle are about $675,000, all funded by Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Enhancing Detection Expansion Grant.
“We are creating a mobile fleet, and we are not stopping there. We are looking to expand these Live Well mobiles because the reality is our county is 42 square miles, it is diverse, and it is large. We have to get where the people are at,” Director of the Health and Human Services Agency, Nick Macchione publicly said.
In 2021, a single Live WoW vehicle was utilized to respond to over 450 requests for support, offer public outreach, education, and health services for 233 activities, events, and provided direct assistance to 22,784 individuals in the county. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Live WoW vehicle has served as a mobile testing site and assisted in vaccine administration.
County leaders say these mobile units are "mechanisms to overcome traditional barriers to provide resources, outreach, and education, ensuring a positive impact on the lives of people of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, youth, the LGBTQ community, and the economically disadvantaged".
Additionally, these new vehicles will include equipment and dedicated space, allowing for preventive dental screenings, testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, blood draws, and specimen collection.
In 2010, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors adopted the Live Well San Diego vision of a region that is Building Better Health, Living Safely, and Thriving, and has made a collective effort with over 500 recognized Live Well San Diego community partners to help all 3.3 million county residents.
For more information on where to find the Live WoW vehicles, Click Here.
