It appears the Medical Outreach Mobile clinic is back on the road.

Golden Valley Health Centers said Tuesday that it will take over the medical and organizational staffing -- supplying an administrator, driver, physician's assistant and nurse -- for the bus that serves some of Stanislaus County's most needy residents.

Providing that staff is the most critical aspect of maintaining the service to the 2,000 to 3,000 patients who are served by the clinic-on-wheels each year. Two-thirds of those are on Medi-Cal; the others often have no insurance at all.

Earlier this week, it appeared that the clinic would cease operations by Dec. 31. With Golden Valley's commitment, that is less likely. A few potholes remain. Doctors Medical Center Foundation, which put MOM on the road 10 years ago with the help of the Soroptomists and others, must find funds to cover up to $25,000 a year in fuel, maintenance, licensing and insurance.

Steve Spriggs, DMC Foundation executive director, is confident that can be done: "I'm hoping the service clubs, the community will rally and we'll get the last piece of this puzzle."

Until this year, the foundation relied on Stanislaus County to cover those costs and to help pay for staffing. But with revenues from the state plummeting and demand rising, painful decisions had to be made. In a system that cares for 250,000 patients per year, abandoning the mobile clinic represented the best of many bad choices.

With cooperation from the county, Golden Valley, which operates eight clinics in Stanislaus County, has stepped in to keep the clinic running -- assuming the other hurdles can be overcome.

If those final accommodations can be made, much-needed health care will continue to be available to those who cannot otherwise get to it.

Reprinted by permission of the Modesto Bee.