California truckers who are sick or injured on the road no longer face the prospect of trying to find a doctor in a strange town.

MedStop Medical Clinics has opened an office at the TA Truck Stop in Ontario, CA.

The new office –set up in a 750-square-foot building that once served as a gas station – is in TA’s east terminal lot. The clinic includes three exam rooms and a large front office; it is staffed by Marc Bohnenberger, a physician’s assistant, and Norma Lemus, a nurse who doubles as front office supervisor. Bohnenberger is no stranger to driving a big vehicle – he used to drive a mobile CAT scan truck.

The clinic will offer not only service to the sick, but also DOT physicals, urgent care for minor to intermediate injuries, follow-up visits on chronic conditions, and eventually, NIDA certified drug screenings, Bohnenberger told Land Line.

More services may be added later, he said – for example, a mobile X-ray truck could make several stops a week.

While the small building does not have a large variety of prescription drugs, Bohnenberger said, “We do keep a small supply of the most common prescriptions on hand, and we also can write scripts to go to a pharmacy.” A Wal-Mart located a short distance from the truck stop also has a pharmacy, he added.

So far, the clinic’s most popular service has been the DOT physicals, he said. But he expects a far wider variety of needs from the truckers who show up. The clinic’s location is designed to be convenient for drivers who can’t afford to go too far out of their way for medical services.

“We’re here for the trucking community, to try to make their lives easier,” he said.

The clinic is open Monday through Friday from 8 to 5, but Bohnenberger said he would open the doors some Saturdays, since that’s the only time many truckers can come. For more information, call the clinic at (909) 605-9713.

--by Mark H. Reddig, associate editor

Mark Reddig can be reached at mark_reddig@landlinemag.com.