Roadside Medical Clinics has announced plans for a coast-to-coast network at Pilot Travel Centers to address the health needs of over-the-road truck drivers. Its first clinics are scheduled to open at Pilot locations in Cartersville, Ga., and Knoxville, Tenn., in January, with plans to open 16 more in 2008 and 20 more in 2009, the company says.
“Without easy access to medical care, many drivers would put off going to the doctor as long as possible,” says Joe Neely, chief executive officer of Alpharetta, Ga.-based Roadside Medical. “As for scheduling an appointment, have you ever tried to park a rig at your doctor’s office?”
Thanks to their long hours, sedentary lifestyles and isolation, the nation’s 3.4 million truckers usually have limited access to basic medical care, exercise and healthy eating options, Neely says. “We give them the health care they need, where they need it, when they need it and, most importantly, at a price they can afford,” he says.
A similar network is envisioned by Professional Drivers Medical Depots, based in Knoxville, Tenn., which has three locations so far and 15 others in the works, almost all of them at Petro Stopping Centers.
For more information on Roadside Medical, go to www.roadsidemed.com.
