Henry Ford Health System Deploys Mobile Medical Unit for Newborn Care Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

DETROIT – The Department of Pediatrics at Henry Ford Health System has deployed its mobile medical unit for newborn follow up appointments amid the COVID-19 public health emergency. The bus will see patients from 9 a.m. to noon, seven days per week outside Henry Ford’s corporate office building, One Ford Place Detroit, MI 48202. 

At each 30-minute newborn follow up appointment, a pediatrician checks the infant’s weight, does a physical exam, provides counseling, and checks a bilirubin level, if needed. While newborn follow up appointments are typically done at Henry Ford Medical Centers, clinics at several of the medical centers have been temporarily repurposed and staff have been redeployed. 

“Parents bringing their newborn for a follow up appointment on our mobile medical unit can expect the same thorough and compassionate care that they would receive in a traditional doctor’s office,” said Maureen Connolly, M.D., medical director of Henry Ford’s School-Based and Community Health Program. “Newborns are some of the most vulnerable members of our community. By seeing them on our mobile medical unit, they’ll be in an environment that’s separate from where other patient care is taking place, which adds another layer of safety for them.”

Henry Ford’s mobile medical unit is a 39-foot bus that features two exam rooms, a bathroom and a waiting area. At this time, appointments are being made by Henry Ford staff when a baby is discharged from a Henry Ford birth hospital or needs a time-sensitive follow up visit.


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MEDIA CONTACT: Jeff Adkins / (586) 307-2027 / jadkins6@hfhs.org