Healthcare organizations looking to connect with underserved populations on their own turf—literally—are taking a closer look at mobile health clinics. Roughly 2,000 mobile health clinics exist around the country, according to a March 2023 study published in the American Journal of Accountable Care. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from trucks and vans to specially designed RVs and EMS units, and offer a variety of services, including primary and specialty care, population health, and health and wellness resources.

NORTH CHARLESTON — Mobile health care provided by clinics on wheels has expanded across the country and might be an option for critical services like prenatal care in rural and underserved areas of South Carolina, officials said.

One Lowcountry provider has already received state funding to help acquire a new mobile unit.

Providing care out in the community might sound radical now but that’s where it began when doctors and midwives made house calls, said Dr. Mollie Williams, executive director of The Family Van and Mobile Health Map at Harvard Medical School.

“They came to your home and your neighborhood,” she said. Williams was the keynote speaker Oct. 19 at a mobile health conference sponsored by Roper St. Francis Healthcare and Boeing.

“I’m honestly open to filling in wherever you need help,” I said in the Spring 2023 semester over my first Zoom call with Mollie Williams, the Executive Director of The Family Van. The Family Van, a mobile clinic in Boston, has traveled across the city over the last 30 years, delivering primary care services and performing basic screenings to various low-income and minority groups. Over time, they have adapted their services to best-fit community needs. Recently, their focus has been on diabetes and hypertension prevention and mental health promotion.