THE GREEN LINE
ORIGINAL STORY
Mobile health unit rolls into Kennedy Park to deliver primary care at the doorstep
The Green Line team hit the road with Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities’ mobile health unit to see how it’s delivering care straight to people’s doorsteps — from blood pressure checks and diabetes education to harm reduction supplies and more.
Bjorn Poysa, program coordinator for Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities’ mobile health unit, stands by the vehicle at 40 Gordonridge Pl.
: MARY NEWMAN/The Green Line.
AMANDA SERAPHINA JAMES RAJAKUMAR
Indian immigrant with a post-grad in journalism from Centennial College. Now living in Grange Park, meeting new people, and hearing different stories. Has four names, so it’s a pick-your-player situation.
MARY NEWMAN
British-Canadian journalist with a decade’s experience producing for the BBC and CBC. Hails from Robin Hood country so naturally hates wealth inequality and loves organized labour. Now resides in the dog paradise of Roncesvalles.
Nov. 14, 2025
How to make health care more accessible
- Working with your local community health centre, look at neighbourhood data to identify gaps, such as the lack of family doctors or the need for diabetes education, etc.
- Collaborate with local clinics, food banks and clothing stores to bring the required resources to your neighbourhood.
- Set up a mobile health unit to address those gaps, providing resources such as diabetes education, harm reduction supplies, mental health supports, clothing and food.
- Schedule weekly visits to the same location, so residents get used to familiar faces.
- Promote vaccine clinics and other health events using the mobile health unit.
The onset of winter calls for more frequent health checkups. But finding the time to visit a clinic isn't always easy.
The Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities (SCHC) is taking health care on the road, right to the doorstep of residents in Kennedy Park with the help of its mobile health unit.
Bjorn Poysa, program coordinator for SCHC’s mobile health unit, talks to a resident at 40 Gordonridge Pl.
: Amanda Seraphina/The Green Line.
In 2024, the Ontario College of Family Physicians found that over 500,000 Torontonians don't have a family doctor — and that number was predicted to rise to one million by 2026.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information says the lack of access to primary care from a family physician or nurse practitioner directly correlates with overcrowded emergency departments.
In Scarborough, more than 13 per cent of residents lack access to primary care. So, SCHC decided to tackle the problem using a mobile health unit.
Chandra Roberts, the director of community health teams at SCHC, says a large portion of Scarborough’s population is low-income, racialized or recent immigrants — meaning they can face the greatest barriers in accessing health care.
"When you have food insecurity and housing instability, your first priority isn't your health. It's 'how am I going to put food on the table for my [family]? And how am I going to pay my rent and keep a roof over my family's head.' The work that we're doing with our partners across Scarborough is really addressing those gaps.”
SCHC’s mobile health unit team collects the supplies needed to take the unit to Kennedy Park.
: Amanda Seraphina/The Green Line.
The mobile health unit was launched in 2022. It provides free blood pressure checks, diabetes education, harm reduction supplies, mental health supports, clothes and snacks.
From Monday to Friday, the unit stops at Neighbourhood Improvement Areas (NIA), including Kennedy Park, West Hill, Woburn and Eglinton East — serving 500 residents monthly.
Mural outside 40 Gordonridge Pl. depicts the diversity of residents in Kennedy Park.
: Amanda Seraphina/The Green Line.
Leon Carpenter, a Kennedy Park resident, says his building has a lot of people who are elderly or have mental health issues, and they might not want to leave their residence for a checkup. He explains that providing services, like blood pressure or tuberculosis checks, outside the building encourages residents to come out.
“Having someone to actually check in on them, the people with mental health [issues], is very important," he says. "If you have it at your doorstep, why wouldn't you take advantage of it."
Kennedy Park resident Leon Carpenter stands outside 40 Gordonridge Pl., where the mobile health unit stops every Friday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
: Mary Newman/The Green Line.
In June 2025, the Ontario government passed the Primary Care Act 2025, aimed at improving access, convenience and inclusivity in primary care.
The act outlines six key objectives:
- Province-wide access for insured persons to have a documented and ongoing relationship with a primary care team.
- Improved connection for insured persons to receive coordinated care from health and social services.
- Convenience of insured persons accessing timely primary care services.
- Inclusive care that's free from barriers and discrimination for insured persons.
- Primary care that's responsive to the needs of the communities it serves.
- Empowerment of insured persons to have a digitally-integrated primary care system, connecting individuals to clinicians.
Icon graphic of the six key objectives of the Primary Care Act, 2025.
: Paul Zwambag for The Green Line.
“There [are] just so many barriers that people face, whether it's geographical, there [are] a lot of people in these buildings that have disabilities, says Bjorn Poysa, the program coordinator for SCHC’s mobile health unit.
"There [are] a lot of people who might not trust the health-care system. So putting a face to it really allows us to build that trust and build those relationships, where they feel more comfortable to come out," he adds.
In December 2025, SCHC will launch its first-ever full-service mobile health clinic, fitted with an examination table and equipments, a vaccine fridge and supply storage.
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