Here’s a sampling of some of the mobile health programs across the country
Editor’s Note: This list accompanies this story.
With help from the Mobile Health Map and The Family Van at Harvard Medical School, HealthLeaders has compiled short profiles of 11 mobile health programs around the country.
Project Vision Hawai'i
Project Vision Hawai'i, Honolulu, Hawai'i.
Q. Describe your program, why it's different or innovative, who it serves, how many care providers it features, and how this is improving healthcare access and/or clinical outcomes.
Project Vision Hawai‘i is a mobile health and human services organization that operates solely out of mobile clinics and mobile service units. We bring services directly to communities with access to care issues such as lack of insurance, geographic challenges, cultural barriers, and limited to no income.
Q. What kind of technology do you use?
We use laptops, printers, and mobile hotspots as far as hardware goes, and have expanded to include an electronic health records platform, which also allows us to bill for services.
Q. Why did you choose to launch a mobile program? How does this work better than a brick-and-mortar clinic or virtual program?
Since Hawai'i is made up of several islands, it can be challenging to access certain services on certain islands and even the terrain can be very different on different parts of each island. For example, The Big Island is the largest island, so large, that all of the other islands can fit onto it. Residents living on the south or north parts of the island may not be able to drive to access services in the main cities of Hilo and Kona. Thus, Project Vision brings traditional services directly to communities, and furthermore to peoples’ doorsteps. This has allowed us to reach populations of people who would otherwise never have access to basic and preventative health services.
Q. What are the biggest challenges this program faces?
The biggest challenges our organization faces are the costs of staffing and travel and the challenges of managing data. With the rising cost of gas and other expenses, we have to carry the burden of those expenses. Additionally, the organization is developing a capacity to collect, manage, and analyze data, while handling numerous requests for data from funders and partners.
Q. How is this program supported so that it is sustainable?
We always look to sustain our programs beyond just grants. While we apply for private foundation grants as well as state, county, and federal funding, we also try to bill for as many services as we can. Our nonprofit also hosts multiple annual fundraising events and pursues corporate and individual philanthropy. We do our best to diversify our revenue streams so that we can sustain our ever-growing programs.
Q. How are patients charged for healthcare services? Do you work with payers?
Project Vision bills insurance when possible and never turns anyone away because of an inability to pay or lack of insurance. We are contracted by the State of Hawaii Department of Human Services to assist clients with SNAP (food stamps) and Med-QUEST (Medicaid).
We focus on establishing care between local providers and patients. We never want to take patients away from their established primary care providers. If they have established care, we will refer them back to their doctor. If they do not have any established care, we partner with local providers to receive our referrals. If they absolutely need services and would not be able to access traditional care, then we will partner with local providers to bring services directly to them.
Q. How do you let people know when and where you'll be located? How do you market your services?
A lot of our success is due to the wonderful work that our dedicated team of outreach workers do in building partnerships with other organizations, as well as the regularity in offering our services. Outreach teams try to return to the same locations on a weekly or monthly basis so that people know where to find us. We also publish our schedules on our website. We use a combination of the website, social media, and our partners to market our services.
Q. Do you partner with local health systems, primary care providers, health clinics or other programs?
Yes. We are strong believers in partnerships and collaboration. We always want to establish care between our clients and our local providers, hospitals, and community health centers.
Q. How might this program evolve? What new technology or strategies would you like to employ in the future?
We are always looking at ensuring that our programs don’t become stagnant and just put “bandages” on the problem. We want to make sure that we always come from a holistic perspective when looking at our programs. We are looking at a housing component which would allow us to not just provide services, but actually assist clients with a place to live.
In growing our team, we look for ways to employ technology to become more efficient. This will enable outreach workers and healthcare providers to spend more time helping clients, rather than at their desks doing administrative tasks.
Q. What is the one thing about this program, good or bad, that has really surprised you? Something you didn't expect to see or experience, an unusual case or treatment, a challenge or barrier you didn't expect to face or didn't expect to be so tough, etc.
A pleasant surprise, especially during COVID, was the level of trust that we have gained from the legislature, the state, the city, hospitals, community health centers, and our many partners. We are so grateful and honored that our colleagues would provide us the trust that they have shown us to work together to increase access to health and human services for the people of Hawai‘i.
Bonnie's Bus
Bonnie's Bus mobile mammography unit and LUCAS (Lung Cancer Screening), West Virginia University Cancer Institute, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Q. Describe your program, why it's different or innovative, who it serves, how many care providers it features, and how this is improving healthcare access and/or clinical outcomes.
The WVU Cancer Institute provides state-of-the-art care to West Virginians close to home. While growing our network and increasing access to clinical services, we are also taking cancer screening to communities throughout the state that need it most. Mobile cancer screening provides our state’s most rural residents the highest quality of care without the need for them to travel long distances.
Working with local clinics, businesses, and healthcare providers, Bonnie’s Bus mobile mammography unit and LUCAS (Lung Cancer Screening), our new lung cancer screening unit, travel to 42 counties across the state to offer screening services where it is convenient for the patients. Both units are led by the WVU Cancer Institute's Cancer Prevention and Control staff and are operated by WVU Hospitals. Together with local communities and medical providers, we are striving to reduce the impact of cancer in West Virginia through early cancer detection.
Our approach to patient care is innovative because we strive to serve residents across the entire state to be as inclusive as possible. Other mobile models for service focus on a geographic region within 1-2 hours of their headquarters. West Virginia has a population of less than 2 million people spread over 24,000 square miles, and we would miss the population that we are trying to serve the most: Those without easy access to care.
For patients who meet national guidelines for lung cancer screening through low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), our program bills Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. However, no eligible West Virginian will be turned away due to lack of insurance or the inability to pay. Grant funds and donations are available to pay for lung cancer screening for those without insurance coverage.
Another aspect that makes our approach unique and innovative is that we do not only screen at sites within our health system. We partner with many different clinics, health systems, and organizations. Results and recommendations are sent to each patient and their ordering provider, typically their primary care provider. This allows patients to communicate and follow-up with a provider with whom they are familiar. If a patient requires follow-up services, we can work with the ordering provider to help identify resources that best meet the patient’s needs.
All of the reasons listed above were implemented to best serve the needs of the patient. If someone is going to be diagnosed with cancer, we want it to be as early as possible when it is most treatable.
Q. What kind of technology do you use?
LUCAS is equipped with the latest AI technology from Cannon, offering patients an ultra-low dose of radiation that is less than half of the standard of care. A large part of our success lies in the fact that we can transmit the LDCT images in real time back to our radiologists at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center in Morgantown, West Virginia. This allows the images to be read and results sent to the patient and their ordering provider in the fastest possible time. Many times, providers receive patient results the same day as the patient’s lung cancer screening.
LUCAS also travels with its own generator (the size of an SUV) to power the LDCT scanner. LUCAS is the only mobile unit for lung cancer screening in the nation that travels statewide without the need for facility-based power, making it truly mobile.
Q. Why did you choose to launch a mobile program? How does this work better than a brick-and-mortar clinic or virtual program?
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women, accounting for 18% of all new cancer cases in West Virginia. Smoking is linked to 80% to 90% of lung cancers diagnosed. West Virginia leads the country in the prevalence of adult smoking at a rate of 25.2%. West Virginia is also the only state that lies entirely within Appalachia; it is considered the third most rural state in the nation, with 61.8% of the state’s counties designated as rural. More than half of the state's residents live in rural areas where lack of reliable transportation and lengthy driving times contribute to delays in health screening and follow-up care.
In 2009 the Bonnie Wells Wilson Mobile Mammography program began providing mammograms to the most rural parts of the state. Bonnie's Bus has traveled over 200,000 miles, found more than 125 cases of breast cancer, and screened more than 25,000 women from all 55 counties. In the summer of 2021 we expanded mobile screening to include lung cancer screening, thus creating the WVU Cancer Institute Mobile Cancer Screening Program. The need for LUCAS emerged as Cancer Prevention and Control was working to strengthen the infrastructure for lung cancer screening in West Virginia.
LUCAS is the only mobile unit for lung cancer screening in the nation that will travel statewide without the need for facility-based power. LUCAS provides LDCT screening close to home, refers those in need of follow-up to facilities nearest to them, and has so far screened more than 1,200 patients. Patients are often not able to travel for cancer screening. Travel barriers exist beyond just the time it takes to travel to a screening site. Additional concerns include the cost of travel, patients who don't drive, taking time from work and family responsibilities, etc. LUCAS provides lung cancer screening in a comfortable, convenient environment for women, men, transgender, and gender-diverse people.
LUCAS is a complement to our standing or traditional lung cancer screening program at the WVU Cancer Institute. It’s not that one is better than the other because they are both providing a valuable service. The mobile unit is just able to reach patients that are unable to use a traditional setting.
Q. What are the biggest challenges this program faces?
One of the biggest challenges we have faced and keep facing is the lack of education about lung cancer screening and the lung cancer screening continuum. We are constantly educating providers and the public about LDCT.
Q. How is this program supported so that it is sustainable?
We are committed to increasing the number of West Virginians who receive lung cancer screening. We bill Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. We also seek out donations and grant funding through local and national partners. This funding is used to not only support operational costs, but also to pay for lung cancer screening for West Virginians who are without insurance.
Q. How are patients charged for healthcare services? Do you work with payers?
Medicaid/Medicare will pay for those who go to a registered facility and that meet national screening guidelines. Private insurance covers the scan, but guidelines vary and may require additional risk factors or differ in the covered age range. For those who do not have insurance, no eligible West Virginian will ever be turned away. Grant funds and donations are available to pay for lung cancer screening for those without insurance coverage and that meet USPSTF screening guidelines.
Q. How do you let people know when and where you'll be located? How do you market your services?
LUCAS staff provide every scheduled site community flyers, press releases, and social media promotions. In addition, our schedule is posted on our Facebook page and the WVUCI events calendar.
Q. Do you partner with local health systems, primary care providers, health clinics, or other programs?
Community partners and patients are the keys to our success. LUCAS works with more than 150 clinics, hospitals, and healthcare providers each year to coordinate visits and patient care.
Q. How might this program evolve? What new technology or strategies would you like to employ in the future?
The program can evolve with further connection/integrations with communities to increase the number of patients screened.
We would like to assist in increasing lung cancer screening nationally by being a part of national conversations about the future of lung cancer screening. This has already started with national and international organizations asking the WVU Cancer Institute Mobile Cancer Screening Program for technical assistance and resources as they work on their own mobile lung cancer screening units. Continuing in these larger conversations and sharing of best practices can help build the momentum for significant changes in lung cancer screening and survivorship.
Q. What is the one thing about this program, good or bad, that has really surprised you? Something you didn't expect to see or experience, an unusual case or treatment, a challenge or barrier you didn't expect to face or didn't expect to be so tough, etc.
The greatest experience is the wave of people that have embraced our program, the unit, and our drivers. Breast cancer screening has been around for so much longer and there is so much media attention to it, so it’s not surprising when communities embrace our mobile mammography unit. But for lung cancer screening, it’s relatively new, there is a stigma associated with it, and there is still a lot education needed to ease fears and increase acceptance. It is amazing when we come into town and the community, the clinics, and the media get excited. It is truly remarkable that we can take this highest quality service to a rural community and that we are able to serve our fellow West Virginians in this way.
Durham Tech Mobile Health Lab
Durham Tech Mobile Health Lab, Durham Technical Community College, Durham, North Carolina.
Q. Describe your program, why it's different or innovative, who it serves, how many care providers it features, and how this is improving healthcare access and/or clinical outcomes.
The Durham Tech Mobile Health Lab makes vision and general medical services accessible to members of low-income communities within the surrounding counties in central North Carolina. The program has three primary goals: 1) Deliver cross-disciplinary health education and outreach to the community; 2) Provide clinical training to the workforce in an effort to expand their view of healthcare and see community health issues firsthand, resulting in better prepared and empathetic practitioners; and 3) Engage the community in health career education and recruitment opportunities to broaden awareness about healthcare careers.
Thanks to a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Mobile Health Lab launched three years ago and is led by one full time mobile health lab coordinator and one part-time mobile optical services coordinator. The program’s target population is members of the surrounding communities facing health disparities because of financial barriers or insufficient access to care. Students of various levels serve on the mobile health lab, ranging from resident medical students to first-year college students.
This model is different because there is no other community college in the US that we are aware of that provides this type of service while including so many student learners in the process. It is improving not only healthcare access to those who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to receive care, but it is having a lasting effect on our student learners, so they will be better future providers.
Q. What kind of technology do you use?
We have a complete optical doctor’s lane inside our health lab, which includes everything you would see at a brick-and-mortar eye doctor’s office. For example, an autorefractor, lensometer, phoropter, retinoscope, and slit lamp, to name a few. We use a portable EKG machine for preventative care and iPads and hotspots for documenting while we are out and about. We also have a TV monitor for health education.
Q. Why did you choose to launch a mobile program? How does this work better than a brick-and-mortar clinic or virtual program?
There was a need in the area to help children who are unable to receive vision services due to the lack of access or cost. The program was initially launched to fulfill that need. We have since expanded to offer other preventative care options as well.
This works better than a brick-and-mortar clinic because we bring the service to the people who lack the transportation and resources. Since a majority of our patients are children, their parents lack transportation or are not able to take off work to get them to an eye doctor or receive a sports physical. By providing our service to children while they are at school, we solve both problems for parents.
Q. What are the biggest challenges this program faces?
The biggest challenge the program is currently facing is a lack of funding for sustainability and finding physicians or advanced practitioners willing to donate their time to help provide the services.
Q. How is this program supported so that it is sustainable?
At the moment this program relies heavily on grants and private donations/sponsorships. We have recently added a partner fee, but because we provide all of our services for free, even that is hard to initiate. Other nonprofits struggle just as we do to provide services at no cost or a sliding scale.
Q. How are patients charged for healthcare services? Do you work with payers?
Patients are not charged for any healthcare services we provide. Some of the organizations that we partner with do pay a partner fee. Other than that, we work with no payers.
Q. How do you let people know when and where you'll be located? How do you market your services?
All of our events and trips with the Mobile Health Lab are planned in advance. Our model works by partnering with other organizations or agencies and going to them. They assist in the coordination of our efforts. We use social media and word-of-mouth to market our services. We have found that word-of-mouth travels far and fast. We have a long waiting list, unfortunatel,y for those needing some of our services.
Q. Do you partner with local health systems, primary care providers, health clinic,s or other programs?
We partner with the local health system, primary care providers, health clinics, and other universities in the area. We are also open to partner with any and everyone.
Q. How might this program evolve? What new technology or strategies would you like to employ in the future?
This program looks at the need of the community and evolves along with it. One of the largest unmet needs in this area that we are repeatedly asked to provide is dental services, which is something that we do not provide at this time. In the future, with more funding for equipment and personnel, this could be a new facet to our program.
Q. What is the one thing about this program, good or bad, that has really surprised you? Something you didn't expect to see or experience, an unusual case or treatment, a challenge or barrier you didn't expect to face or didn't expect to be so tough, etc.
What has most surprised me is the extent of the need and the lack of vision services children and adults are able to attain for themselves because of access or cost. The other thing that has most surprised me is the number of disciplines within Durham Tech that we have been able to incorporate into our program, including a community Spanish interpreter, occupational therapy, community health worker, cardiovascular tech, ECG tech, phlebotomy, biomedical equipment tech, nurse's aide, and medical assistant.
PanCare Health
PanCare Health mobile program, PanCare Health of southern Florida, Panama City, Florida.
Q. Describe your program, why it's different or innovative, who it serves, how many care providers it features, and how this is improving healthcare access and/or clinical outcomes.
The PanCare mobile program is long reaching. During the school year, we provide medical, dental, and optometry services to students in our local school district. We are on-site at schools offering the opportunity of medical care to thousands of students at no cost. We provide auditory, vision, and scoliosis screenings and school and sports physicals, as well as dental exams, cleanings, and sealants for no cost. In addition, we offer no-cost optometry exams and affordable eyewear. We also participate in a myriad of community events spanning 10 counties providing healthcare access to those regardless of health insurance status.
Q. What kind of technology do you use?
We keep our mobile teams connected by using Wi-Fi hotspots. They are able to securely connect to patient medical files and access our team page to stay in touch with updates from home base.
Q. Why did you choose to launch a mobile program? How does this work better than a brick-and-mortar clinic or virtual program?
The advantage of a mobile clinic is that it is mobile. Our units facilitate hands-on access to patients in rural and underserved communities. Our mobile programs are able to provide on-the-spot healthcare where a brick-and-mortar counterpart may be booked out for days at a time. Launching a mobile program allows PanCare to extend services to those who might not otherwise receive them.
Q. What are the biggest challenges this program faces?
The biggest challenge that we are faced with is also our greatest strength. This program is dynamic, in that we are often transitioning how we do things in order to meet the next need of our community. Nothing is constant for too long. We alter what we do or how we do it to best fit the task or situation presented to us. We are rooted in flexibility and change.
Q. How is this program supported so that it is sustainable?
Our program relies on grants and partnerships to remain sustainable.
Q. How are patients charged for healthcare services? Do you work with payers?
There are no out-of-pocket costs for the services provided on the medical and dental units. However, we will bill insurance if the patient has it. Our optometry bus completes no-cost exams for students in our partnered districts.
Q. How do you let people know when and where you'll be located? How do you market your services?
Our marketing team makes use of both social and local media outlets, allowing us the best possible turnout. For services provided on school campuses, students receive information pertaining to what will be provided at that specific location.
Q. Do you partner with local health systems, primary care providers, health clinics or other programs?
PanCare is a patient-centered medical home. Our mobile program often partners with our clinics to augment patient services. We also participate in events that are organized by the Department of Health and other local organizations. Such events allow us to bring services to local veterans, underserved community members, and those experiencing homelessness. We are partnered with the local school district to provide health screenings, physicals, dental services, optometry, and affordable eyewear to students. Our partnerships allow us to extend our reach beyond what we could do on our own.
Q. How might this program evolve? What new technology or strategies would you like to employ in the future?
The advantage of a mobile program is flexibility. We can adapt and evolve to meet the needs of our community. During the height of COVID, our units were deployed to offer testing, vaccine, and monoclonal antibody services over a multi-county area. Our adaptability allows us to evolve in ways that are often unplanned, but crucial to making healthcare accessible to all.
Q. What is the one thing about this program, good or bad, that has really surprised you? Something you didn't expect to see or experience, an unusual case or treatment, a challenge or barrier you didn't expect to face or didn't expect to be so tough, etc.
COVID-19 was a global pandemic with a level of severity and mortality that most did not expect to experience. The nature of a new and ever-changing virus coupled with nationwide shortages and production delays creates a host of unforeseen hurdles. Tireless and dedicated frontline and behind-the-scenes teams are what manifests progress in the face of the unknown. Our PanCare teams worked diligently to face each COVID barrier, which was sometimes as simple-yet-integral as “Where can we park the bus that can accommodate hundreds of patients?” One by one, we overcame challenges to bring desperately needed services to our neighbors.
Stony Brook Cancer Center Mobile Mammography Van
Stony Brook Cancer Center Mobile Mammography Van, Stony Brook Cancer Center, Stony Brook, Long Island, New York.
Q. Describe your program, why it's different or innovative, who it serves, how many care providers it features, and how this is improving healthcare access and/or clinical outcomes.
Stony Brook Cancer Center’s Mobile Mammography Van provides screening mammograms to women in the Long Island area by going directly into their neighborhood or workplace. It is helping our hospital reach women living in underserved areas that our hospital normally does not reach. For example, 79% of our patient population are classified as minorities, while only 9% visit in our brick-and-mortar breast center.
Q. What kind of technology do you use?
We use the most recent technology on the market, Selenia Dimensions 3D Hologic mammography equipment.
Q. Why did you choose to launch a mobile program? How does this work better than a brick-and-mortar clinic or virtual program?
Long Island covers a large geographical area. Its western-most border is the New York City borough of Queens, and it stretches east to both Montauk and Orient Points, spanning over 120 miles long. The further east one travels, the island becomes increasingly rural, which is a directly inverse relationship to the availability of public transportation. There are pockets of poverty on Long Island, and we realized that without reasonable access to healthcare, many residents would forfeit medical care altogether if we do not bring the services directly into their communities.
Q. What are the biggest challenges this program faces?
Upon inception of the program the biggest challenge was spreading the word about our services, going door to door, while simultaneously trying to build a positive reputation. Years later, we currently have an internal challenge with hospital administration hampering our efforts to reach the communities via social media, a free and easy way for more people to learn about the benefits of our program and how to book us directly for events.
Q. How is this program supported so that it is sustainable?
This answer was easier in the first few years of existence, as the program was fully covered by a state grant. Fast forward years later to the present time, we do have a healthy mix of screening insured and uninsured patients, which are both billable services in the counties which we serve. Aside from earning income for each mammogram performed, the program has been supported by various smaller grants along the way in various capacities. We also count on donations from philanthropists in our community.
Q. How are patients charged for healthcare services? Do you work with payers?
Our mobile unit is considered an extension of our hospital, so any insurance that is accepted by our state hospital is accepted by us. When registering the patient for an appointment, insurance is verified and billed according to the test being performed. The uninsured patient, which accounts for more than half of our patient population, is enrolled into a state program called Cancer Services Program (CSP), and all costs for the exam(s) are covered. The hospital receives payment for the rendered services.
Q. How do you let people know when and where you'll be located? How do you market your services?
On our website we list all the days and locations where we will be screening. Our partner and host site will promote the scheduled visit to their their members and community. We also work with community groups and organizations in the area to help us spread the word. Oftentimes our staff members will set up a table at the screening location one week prior to our arrival in order to register interested patients and answer any questions. Ideally in the future we would like to post our locations and information about how to book appointments on social media.
Q. Do you partner with local health systems, primary care providers, health clinics, or other programs?
We partner with local health systems and medical offices that do not offer mammography services. Our mobile staff schedules monthly trips to the same offices so that all of the patients in a particular office can be put on the schedule to get screened for breast cancer. This includes offices within our own hospital umbrella as well as offices outside of our own medical landscape, such as federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). We are constantly seeking more effective ways to promote our services.
Q. How might this program evolve? What new technology or strategies would you like to employ in the future?
We are in the process of adding additional cancer screenings. The Cancer Services Program also covers the cost for uninsured patients to receive many screenings aside from mammograms, so the more we can offer, the more evolved our program can become. Since we are a part of a teaching hospital, we will continue to welcome medical students, PA students, and nursing students in order for them to learn about community healthcare, and we are collaborating with residents of the many departments within our own hospital who would like to offer their services to communities that they have been unable to reach.
Q. What is the one thing about this program, good or bad, that has really surprised you? Something you didn't expect to see or experience, an unusual case or treatment, a challenge or barrier you didn't expect to face or didn't expect to be so tough, etc.
A pleasant surprise to our staff was the interest that local politicians take in our program, many of whom continue to be great community partners with us. These politicians host events within their jurisdiction and have their staff do the legwork to promote each event by mailing out their own flyers. Those events have become some of our most successful.
An additional treat is when our mobile staff encounter a community member who does not yet know about our services. Once our program is explained to them, the joy and excitement they exude is unmatched. Reactions like that energize our staff and serve as a constant reminder of the great work that is being done.
Something the staff never expected to experience is the amount of hugs and blessings they receive from patients they are screening. The staff make the patients feel so comfortable, and the uninsured patients who were scared to show up and unsure of how the screenings were being paid for are so thankful to the staff, they all say they cannot wait until they can return.
The Palmetto Palace Mobile Health Unit
The Palmetto Palace Mobile Health Unit, Charleston, South Carolina.
Q. Describe your program, why it's different or innovative, who it serves, how many care providers it features, and how this is improving healthcare access and/or clinical outcomes.
The Palmetto Palace was founded on May 30, 2006, to help support underserved individuals and families in South Carolina. Seeing a need in the local healthcare system, Dr. Youlanda Gibbs created the organization to originally provide lodging and resources to those supporting a loved one who was hospitalized. This quickly expanded to additional health and support services, as well as food distribution for communities in need.
As Dr. Gibbs and her team of volunteers served a growing number of people close to her home base in Charleston, she expanded the organization to include a mobile health unit to serve communities throughout the state, providing preventative medical and dental services to those in rural and underserved areas.
Through extensive fundraising and community support, the Palmetto Palace Mobile Health Unit made its debut on July 31, 2019. Shortly afterwards COVID-19 hit, and the Palmetto Palace pivoted quickly—providing masks, public education, and food distribution at first, then shifting to COVID-19 testing and eventually vaccines. To date, more than 8,000 COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered through the mobile health unit, making it one of the top 10% of COVID-19 providers in South Carolina.
The Palmetto Palace’s mission has always been to serve in the best way possible, offering help and hope through preventative and diagnostic care to underserved communities. Over the last several years our organization has provided additional services and resources to our community when they needed it most. Our goal is to continue increasing our reach and scope of services so that we can continue to provide top-notch healthcare, public education, and additional resources to our friends and neighbors across the state.
Q. What kind of technology do you use?
We use the athenahealth EHR platform and social media to promote our program.
Q. Why did you choose to launch a mobile program? How does this work better than a brick-and-mortar clinic or virtual program?
South Carolina has many rural areas and only three major cities—Charleston, North Charleston, and Columbia—with more than 100,000 residents. The southern part of the state, called the “low country,” includes some of the poorest counties, many without medical offices or even pharmacies. Allendale, one of the towns we serve, is the poorest town in the state, and there is just no way these residents can get to good care. We knew we had to come to them.
We feel it is our duty to make care accessible when transportation and payment are the biggest barriers. During the pandemic we used our mobile unit to ensure that those most in need could have access to vaccines. We just knew we couldn’t do this work solely virtually, nor could we reach our target patient population with a brick-and-mortar facility.
Q. What are the biggest challenges this program faces?
Operational support through funding and earning the trust of the community.
Q. How is this program supported so that it is sustainable?
We are set up to bill through the state Medicaid program and are seeking operational support through fundraising and grant opportunities. We also have a network of volunteers to help us reach our goal, enjoy a partnership with the city of North Charleston, and have an MOU with Roper Saint Francis Healthcare, which provides us with some supplies and takes our medical waste for processing. This helps drive down the cost of operations.
Q. How are patients charged for healthcare services? Do you work with payers?
We are credentialed with Medicaid and we do not accept commercial insurance. We do not charge patients who are uninsured or underinsured, and we're supported by Roper Saint Francis Healthcare, a low country not-for-profit health system that accepts patients through their charity program.
Q. How do you let people know when and where you'll be located? How do you market your services?
Our Executive Director, Dr. Youlanda Gibbs, is very active in the communities we serve. She attends county and city council meetings and church functions in the communities we serve to get the word out. We also use social media to advertise where we will be. We maintain a consistent schedule in each community to provide consistency and gain the community’s trust with our reliability.
Q. Do you partner with local health systems, primary care providers, health clinics, or other programs?
Yes. We refer patients to Roper Saint Francis Healthcare for specialty services and primary care if the patient can logistically get to those facilities. If not, we work with local federally qualified health centers and free community clinics to refer patients.
Q. How might this program evolve? What new technology or strategies would you like to employ in the future?
We have added three more buses to our fleet that are either in production to be upfitted or are waiting for the funding to start that process. One of those buses will be a dedicated education station and another will offer pharmacy services. We would love to be able to offer telehealth services in the future for those who truly cannot get to our mobile unit or other care facilities. We are actively seeking grants and partnerships to support telehealth services.
Q. What is the one thing about this program, good or bad, that has really surprised you? Something you didn't expect to see or experience, an unusual case or treatment, a challenge or barrier you didn't expect to face or didn't expect to be so tough, etc.
I received a call from a community member last month who had attended a county council meeting in a rural area near Allendale. She was retired from the state, and she told me she was completely blown away at the meeting listening to our executive director, Dr. Gibbs, speak. She wanted to know what she could do to get involved.
I was so surprised by the fire that Dr. Gibbs had ignited, in the best way possible: Here was this citizen who was at the meeting for another reason and then she heard Dr. Gibbs. This example and others of the willingness to get involved and help this little bus that could has really surprised me.
I have been a community health RN for 20 years and it is sometimes a struggle to get people involved. But the biggest surprise and struggle was of course, COVID. We were ready to move operationally in one direction, and then the pandemic changed all of that. We pivoted from providing primary and preventative care to testing and vaccines. Before the vaccine became available we struggled to find testing supplies (in the beginning of the pandemic, they were hard to come by). This has only shown how agile and organic the Palmetto Palace is. We pivoted to the needs of the community and, though challenging, it has proved to be so rewarding. Dr. Gibbs was honored by the state health agency DHEC for the Palace’s work in vaccinating those who otherwise would not have had access.
Editor’s note: This list continues here.
Eric Wicklund is the associate content manager and senior editor for Innovation, Technology, and Pharma for HealthLeaders.