Heart of Health: Justin Yap, a driving force behind mobile clinics

Compelled by the economic pressures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, Justin Yap switched careers and vehicles – opting out his food truck for the Public Health Mobile Unit.

A graduate of culinary arts and, for 10 years, committed to the hospitality industry, Justin reached a tough conclusion in 2020 about the future of the food truck he owned and operated. The Colchester County resident, like other small business merchants navigating challenges linked to the pandemic, decided on a new approach.  

“I gained so much experience working kitchens, with customer service, so, I just decided to volunteer at the rapid testing COVID sites,” he says of his entry into the healthcare field.

“It just felt like the right thing to do during that time. It gave me an inside scoop into healthcare and I just wanted to be part of a team, make a difference,” he says. “Then, the opportunity at the mobile unit came up.”

In four years, the pivot to clinical-from-culinary setting proved seamless. Justin’s still in the driver’s seat and providing for communities.

Justin’s a mobile unit driver for Public Health. He drives a care team to various sites in the province, from Cape Breton to Yarmouth. He helps set up the signs, chairs, tables and is the friendly face greeting and navigating patients through the process. He has the teardown/setup steps down to a science: about 20 minutes to apply and remove the apparatus.

“I know exactly where everything goes,” he says with a laugh.

The mobile units are vans that transport teams of nurses, support aides and other healthcare professionals to communities where they provide Public Health programs and services, such as vaccinations against influenza and COVID-19.

At the time of this interview, Justin was assisting with a clinic in Halifax. In some cases, he transports teams to places in dire need of access. In the aftermath of the 2023 wildfire, he brought professionals in to provide healthcare assistance in Shelburne County, where the largest wildland blaze in the province’s history took place.

“I’ve been getting to see lots of places (around the province) I’d never been before. Nova Scotia is incredible,” Justin adds. Naturally, he loves to drive and enjoys his dayshifts.

“It’s the connection to what we do in communities; bringing essential healthcare services to smaller areas,” he notes of his work.

“I like to get to places and set up posters and, you know, bring people in and get the word out about what we do.”

Justin values his work. “I like helping people and supporting communities and making healthcare accessible,” he says.

Each driver is assigned a mobile unit, and he affectionately calls his vehicle “Vernice.” There’s no story to it, nor reference to a famous person, he says. It’s just a unique and quirky moniker that keeps a smile on his face while on the open road. “It’s just for fun.”

Find out when the Public Health Mobile Units will be in your neck of the woods at www.nshealth.ca/PHMU.  

Photo of Justin Yap and “Vernice".