Open a Mobile Medical Clinic
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Her Situation:
One in ten women who obtained abortions indicated they were concerned about their own health or their baby’s health during pregnancy. Since the majority of abortion-vulnerable women live at or below the poverty line, healthcare providers who accept Medicaid or offer free services are vital for the pro-life safety net.
On top of worrying about paying rent or putting food on the table for the children she already has, she likely isn’t receiving regular, preventive medical care. She may be struggling with certain health issues but cannot afford the time off work or cost to seek treatment. She may live in a healthcare desert that requires her to drive over an hour to receive medical care, and she may not have access to transportation to get there. Prenatal and postnatal care are important for the health of the mother and her baby, but regular medical care is essential so she can be the healthy mom she wants to be for her children.
Overview
Her Community:
St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic is a mobile medical clinic that travels to partner sites in underserved areas of East Tennessee to offer uninsured individuals holistic primary care services at no cost. The clinic is a family doctor’s office on wheels, providing care for both urgent health needs, such as acute or major illnesses, and chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. St. Mary’s provides laboratory testing, medication assistance, patient education, and disease prevention to empower patients to strive towards their health goals.
St. Mary’s does not offer prenatal care because they only visit a site once a month and pregnant mothers require more frequent care. Instead, they connect her to a provider who can support her throughout her pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum period. In Tennessee, as with many states, pregnant women automatically qualify for TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program. Once she is enrolled in TennCare, she can receive medical care from local hospitals.
Many of the patients St. Mary’s serves walk to their clinic sites because they lack transportation. If St. Mary’s did not make regular visits to their community, these patients would have no way to receive medical care. Consider opening a mobile medical clinic to support vulnerable moms in underserved areas near you.
Key Benefits
- provide medical care for undeserved populations
- reach vulnerable communities in your area
- expand healthcare access
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Steps to Complete
- 1
Gather a team or board to oversee the project.
While medical professionals will be required to provide care, individuals with financial or business experience can help with organizing and launching the clinic. You may have interested, dedicated members of your church or local community willing to support or lead the project.
- 2
Identify funding sources.
There are many costs to consider: purchasing a vehicle, storing the vehicle, paying staff, purchasing equipment, fuel costs, and more. Initial fundraising will need to happen before the clinic launches, but ongoing funding will always be needed. Initial costs are often upwards of $500,000, but you can determine your own budget.
Identify a large donor or foundation that would be willing to support. Research potential grants that are offered to organizations who serve uninsured patients. Consider launching a long-term capital campaign to engage donors.
- 3
Find volunteers to serve.
Providers are often retired physicians and nurses since they typically have more flexible schedules. They will need to keep up with licensing and continuing education requirements. After you’ve launched the clinic, nursing students may serve or volunteer as part of their training.
Non-medical volunteers are also required to run the clinic. Potential positions include a volunteer manager and schedule volunteers, administrative positions to process patient records, a nurse manager to provide upkeep of medical equipment, a patient navigator to provide case management and connect patients to additional resources, and clinic leadership.
- 4
Select care sites.
Where are the greatest areas of need in your community? Churches are great sites if they will let you use their parking lot and foyer areas to process patient intake.
- 5
Begin community outreach.
Raise awareness for the clinic before it launches so that you will have patients to treat day one. Network with providers, hospitals, and the Chamber of Commerce so they can start referring patients to your clinic. Let them know what services you will offer.
- 6
Open your clinic.
Congratulations, you’ve opened a mobile medical clinic and are supporting vulnerable moms in underserved communities! Over the course of clinic operation, be responsive to additional needs that arise and add new care sites if possible.
- 7
List your ministry.
Once your ministry launches, enroll to be listed on Her PLAN’s directory of life-affirming providers serving moms and strengthening the pro-life safety net.