Prior Lake, Minn. – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) has announced its summer plans to help local organizations and Minnesota tribal communities through its mobile medical clinic. The SMSC Mobile Unit provides health screenings, mammograms, and vision and dental services to American Indians, as well as other prevention and education services to the general public in collaboration with Scott County.

The SMSC Mobile Unit is a combined project of the SMSC Health Department and Mdewakanton Emergency Services. In addition to its service as a mobile medical clinic, the vehicle also provides medical support during events and serves as a mobile incident command center in emergency situations such as search and rescue operations, disasters, and lost children searches.

Summer 2013 Mobile Unit Schedule*

Scott County Public Health deployments (2-5 p.m.)

Through a partnership with the Scott County Department of Public Health, county staff utilize the SMSC Mobile Unit to provide direct services to patients.

– May 16 Russian Church, Shakopee
– June 13 Radermacher’s Grocery Store, Jordan
– June 27 Public Library, Savage
– July 11 Russian Church, Shakopee
– July 25 Radermacher’s Grocery Store, Jordan
– August 8 Public Library, Savage
– August 22 Russian Church, Shakopee
– September 5 Radermacher’s Grocery Store, Jordan

Tribal deployments

– May 21-22 Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Grand Portage (mammography)
– June 3-7 Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, Hayward, Wisconsin (dental)
– July 10 Indian Health Board, Minneapolis (mammography)
– July 23 Native American Community Clinic, Minneapolis (mammography)
– July 30-31 Center for American Indian Resources (CAIR) Clinic, Duluth (mammography)
– August 13-14 Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Duluth (mammography)
– August 26-29 Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Nett Lake (mammography)

Other deployments

– June 14 United Family Medical Clinic, St Paul (mammography)
– July 19-20 Lakefront Music Fest, Prior Lake (incident and medical command support)
– July 26 United Family Medical Clinic, St. Paul (mammography)
– August 16-18 SMSC Wacipi, Shakopee (medical command support)

*Schedule subject to change

How to request the SMSC Mobile Unit or services

Anyone wishing to schedule a mammogram or dental appointment may contact the deployment site or tribal health clinic directly.

To request on-site services from the SMSC Mobile Unit, visit www.mdfire.org and click “Mobile Unit” to find a request form.

2012 accomplishments

The SMSC Mobile Unit had 97 deployments in fiscal year 2012, including 22 for the Scott County Public Health Department as part of an ongoing collaboration; 24 to American Indian health clinics; 24 for SMSC tribal members, employees, and Scott County Native Americans; seven to the Shakopee Women’s Prison; 13 for other health screening events; and seven incident command deployments. Also last year, 872 mammograms were performed aboard the Mobile Unit, bringing the total to 4,422 mammograms since operations began in 2007. Services were also provided to 478 dental patients, 164 vision patients, 65 diabetes patients, and 153 people who had their cholesterol tested.