Christina Lee, Head Photography Editor

Tucked away on Pine Street and Ferry Street, a 40-foot blue mobile medical clinic is parked and ready to meet the healthcare needs of all New Haveners who seek them. 

The Community Health Care Van, or CHCV, is a mobile clinic that has provided “non-judgmental, low-barrier” health care to New Haveners for decades. The van began as a mobile addiction treatment van in 1993, part of one of the first sterile syringe services programs in the country. 

In the ’90s, Dr. Rick Frederick Lewis Altice was an intern and resident at the Yale School of Medicine, interested in reducing HIV transmission by circulating sterile syringes. He created the van to bridge the gap between patients and traditional healthcare spaces for the greater purpose of harm reduction. 

“I established the CHCV to anchor the syringe services program,” he said. “So that there would be availability [of sterile syringes] that is friendly, meeting people on their own turf, and patient-centered care.” 

Three decades later, the van has expanded to meet the broader healthcare needs of the community, while staying true to its value of providing low-barrier access to healthcare. Currently, the van offers a wide array of services as a walk-in clinic parked in high-risk areas with high rates of infectious diseases or chronic conditions, Deidre Gruber, a family nurse practitioner who began working for the van in 2023, said.

The CHCV provides primary care services, rapid testing for diseases like Hepatitis C and HIV, pregnancy tests, addiction treatment, drug checking and mental health support. The van continues to offer its syringe services program as well. 

Angel Ojeda, a research assistant at the School of Medicine, oversees the van’s operations and has worked on the ground to deliver those services to patients for 19 years. 

Most patients, Ojeda explains, come to the CHCV to drop off their used syringes. When patients visit, Ojeda offers them supplies — such as sterile syringes, alcohol pads and cotton balls — for safe drug use and encourages them to undergo rapid testing. Ojeda has also drawn blood for patients seeking bloodwork and STI testing. The van is equipped to get patients who test positive for a disease to start treatment immediately. 

“Having on-demand services is very important,” Ojeda said. “If somebody comes in and they need a vaccine, [we] make sure those vaccines are available for them immediately.”

Since the pandemic, the CHCV has worked to enhance its mental health support services as well. Gruber has frequently encountered mental health issues when working on the van. 

The CHCV has had to adapt to logistical setbacks, including relocations due to changes in building ownership. Previously, the CHCV parked in the parking lot at Ferry Street and Grand Avenue, but the property’s new owners did not want the van parked there anymore, forcing the CHCV to park at Pine Street and Ferry Street instead. 

Ojeda explained that the change was detrimental, as the previous location was a high-risk area and hot spot for the van’s visitors. As a result, the van has experienced reduced patient turnout. 

CHCV has also debated the best outreach and communication strategy. Although the van is running and active, the exact locations and times of the vans can be difficult to pinpoint due to the clinic’s mobile nature. For now, while the van’s schedule is a work in progress, the CHCV operates according to an electronic schedule and patients are encouraged to call ahead to confirm the van’s location. 

The van has increased its partnerships with organizations across the city, working with shelters and food pantries rather than going to the same location every day. 

Financially, the CHCV receives around $50,000-$70,000 from city funding, according to Altice, and mainly relies on federal grants to stay afloat. 

“We’re perpetually unstable, but we’ve been operating for over 30 years,” Altice explained. 

Still, Altice pointed to a positive relationship with the city and has felt appreciation from Mayor Justin Elicker, who he has on speed dial, for the van’s services. 

In a recent federal grant application, the CHCV wrote, “We are a centerpiece to the Mayor’s overdose prevention team and coordinate activities within the city of New Haven, where we have a longstanding relationship with the [people who inject] community and a range of service organizations.”

Despite challenges and changes, staffers like Ojeda remain committed to the mission of the CHCV. He explained that developing a personal connection to the people he serves in the community is a gift. 

“I like giving back to my community,” he said. “I feel like I make a difference, where I’m able to help people from rock bottom and help people get clean and get back on their meds.”

The Community Health Care Van runs from Mondays through Fridays.