BEAUMONT — The Jefferson County Commissioners Court approved the finalization and delivery of a Mobile Medical Vehicle for the Jefferson County Health Department in a meeting held Monday in the courthouse.

The court previously approved that Lone Star Specialty Vehicles would build and equip a mobile medical vehicle for Jefferson County Health Department with a grant from Direct Relief.

“This mobile medical unit is a unit that we will use all around Jefferson County and our rural areas,” said Everette “Bo” Alfred, Precinct 4 commissioner and liaison for the unit. “It will benefit us by our public health department being able to go out to our rural areas and provide services.”

Some of the services the vehicle will be able to provide include X-ray scans, giving shots, examinations and more.

“Our public health department has to go out and give tetanus shots or any kind of shot and things of that nature,” Everette said. “The unit will afford us the opportunity to go out and provide those services.”

Everette said a major contributor to the approval of the vehicle was its need during hurricanes and other disasters that have struck the area in the past several years. The county partnered with Direct Relief and the public health department, who both helped fund the project. Direct Relief is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization helping worldwide with medical aid, natural disasters and emergency response systems.

“It was almost a $500,000 grant from the Public Health Department — we went after it,” he said. “We also have gone after around a $100,000 grant for all the modern X-ray machines and things on it to equip the vehicle. After Hurricane Harvey, all the flooding and everything that happened, we saw a need. Direct Relief, a group that we contact to get medicine and different things for our community, they saw we had another need. So, they gave us an opportunity to apply for the $100,000 grant. It made it a plus for us.”

Everette thanked the Commissioners’ Court for allowing the pursuit of the Mobile Medical Vehicle grant.

“I spearheaded this program because I’m the liaison, but realistically I thank the court because they gave the OK for us to go after the project and the grant,” he said. “It took hard work to get it, but most importantly on July 17 and 18, a brand new mobile unit will roll out that will benefit our county in years to come.”

Citizens who can use the Mobile Medical Vehicle’s services are those that qualify for the program at the public health department, Everette said. However, the transportation eliminates the need for people in the rural area to have to come into the office to qualify.

“We can set up times to go out to the rural areas, set up and give the opportunity for people to go out to those sites and get qualified,” he said. “It makes things better for our public and that’s what we’re trying to look out for — our public. To make sure they know that we are looking out for their best interests. It’s really been a blessing to this county — you can’t beat this.”

For more information on the Mobile Medical Vehicle program contact Everette “Bo” Alfred of Precinct 4 at ealfred@co.jefferson.tx.us or call the Public Health Department in Port Arthur at (409) 983-8380.

The Commissioners’ Court also approved County Judge Jeff Branick to execute a demolition waiver for the city of Port Arthur regarding an unsafe structure at 2906 12^th St., a dilapidated house at the beginning of the street.