Accessing health specialists or being reached by an ambulance during an emergency are critical needs that those living in city centers may take for granted. Sharonda Stokes knows how difficult it can be for some to access that level of care.
“Living in a rural town has its challenges,” she said. “If you don’t have a car, you can’t get to the doctor. Ambulances can take a long time to arrive on the scene of an emergency.”
Stokes has lived her entire life in Oceda, S.C., a tiny, rural town located between Andrews and Jamestown. She was inspired at an early age by her mom’s giving spirit, she said. Her mom would raise money to donate air conditioning units and fans to seniors in the community who didn’t have family around to care for them.
“My experience growing up there, seeing my mom’s passion for helping others and seeing this great need for better access to care motivated me to help meet those needs,” she said.
Now, Stokes’ role as the Mobile Health Unit Program Coordinator at Roper St. Francis Healthcare allows her to meet the community where they are, bringing care to those who need it the most.
Hitting the road
Stokes drives the 38-foot long vehicle across the tri-county area, attending health fairs and events. Working with teammate volunteers and community health workers, Stokes helps to provide health screenings, cancer risk assessments and health education to people in the community who may not always have easy access to healthcare.
The Mobile Health Unit was fully funded by philanthropic support through the Roper St. Francis Foundation and its generous donors. The fully customized vehicle hit the road last month. Learn more about how to give to the Roper St. Francis Foundation and propel this effort and others like it.
Just this past week, the Mobile Health Unit participated in the Flowertown Festival in Summerville, S.C., where Stokes and volunteer teammates performed over 60 blood pressure screenings and shared health education with over 200 people.
“My passion is helping others,” Stokes said. “If I can’t get a patient something right away, then I’m making phone calls to try and find them access to what they need. This is what I love to do.”
A passion for helping
Stokes has long been involved in community health initiatives within the health system and beyond.
Her healthcare career began as a medical assistant and phlebotomist working with the St. James Family Health Center, which has locations in smaller towns such as Georgetown and Andrews. There, she discovered her passion for community health. She met patients who didn’t have insurance and didn’t understand how to navigate the healthcare system.
“We were their best chance at getting them seen by specialists or connecting them to resources to improve their health and overall well-being,” Stokes said.
In 2015, Stokes accepted a position as a medical assistant with Roper St. Francis Physician Partners Breast Surgery, where she worked with Breast Surgeon and Interim Chief Executive Officer Dr. Megan Baker. Stokes said that Dr. Baker’s compassion towards patients, family members and teammates deeply resonated with her.
“Dr. Baker would see a patient on a Saturday if she had to,” Stokes said. “If she could make it happen, then she did.”
It was in that role that Stokes realized the profound impact that her own kindness, patience and compassion could have on someone. One of her patients who had recently discovered she had breast cancer behaved rudely toward some of the teammates in the office. Despite the patient’s cold remarks, Stokes maintained a kind and calm demeanor.
After completing her treatment, the patient revealed something to Stokes that she’ll never forget.
“I was considering suicide,” the patient said. “I want to thank you for being kind to me even when I was mean. Your team really helped me through that.”
For Stokes, that experience affirms one of her personal values: kindness is key.
“I always tell my daughter to treat people with kindness,” she said. “Sometimes people are sad or frustrated and don’t know how to channel those feelings, so it just comes out as anger. Still, they deserve to be treated with kindness.”
Stokes took the role as a mobile health program coordinator in March 2023, facilitating screening events throughout the community even before the arrival of the Mobile Health Unit. Regardless of her job title, Stokes has always prided herself on being a positive energy for others, she said.
“Seeing a smile on people’s faces and making them feel appreciated are what bring me joy,” Stokes said. “That, and maybe a good lamb chop.”
What’s next for the unit
In the coming months, Stokes has plans to enhance the Mobile Health Unit’s offerings through a partnership with Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s mammography services.
During a series of events that will kick off this summer, uninsured and underinsured patients will be able to receive free breast exams and same-day mammograms for those who meet screening criteria determined by the providers. Those who may need further diagnostics will be scheduled for follow-up services.
“These preventative screenings are so important,” Stokes said. “Maybe you’ll find a lump during the early stages, which makes it much easier to treat.”
The first of these breast cancer screening events will take place at Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital on Saturday, July 13 and at Moncks Corner Medical Plaza – A Department of Roper Hospital on Friday, July 19.
Before then, the Mobile Health Unit will be present at some of the following events:
- Clementa Pinckney’s Annual Health Fair on Saturday, May 4 from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
- Tri-County Orange Walk on Saturday, June 1, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Moncks Corner Recreation Department
Stokes said she is always in need of volunteers.
“You just have to be compassionate to get involved in community health work,” Stokes said. “And you have to want to do the work. There is such a great need for it.”