WASHINGTON – Mobile health care (MHC) expands access to critical services by reaching communities facing barriers to health care. By bringing care beyond hospital walls, MHC improves health outcomes, promotes health equity, and addresses both medical and social needs it also is a cost-effective model that reduces strain on emergency departments and enhances community-wide health.
Five members of America’s Essential Hospitals will participate in a nine-month grant-funded learning collaborative to provide essential hospitals with strategies and practices for operating and sustaining their successful mobile health programs. With funding from the Lowenstein Foundation, Essential Hospitals Institute — the association’s research and education arm — designed this collaborative to cover high-priority topics, including building community trust, policies to increase care capacity, mobile health program financing, and staffing.
Each focus area reflects essential hospitals’ most pressing mobile health care delivery challenges and will serve to equip participants with actionable strategies. The learning collaborative will be held via monthly virtual sessions that will run through October 2025. Each hospital will receive $10,000 to support their participation in the learning collaborative, including an in-person experience at an essential hospital to receive expert guidance from a thriving mobile health care program.
The following association members are participating in the learning collaborative
- Carilion Clinic, Roanoke, Va.: Primary Care Mobile Health Enhancement Project supports patients with transportation challenges or post-hospital care needs at home via its Family and Community Medicine Mobile Health team.
- East Alabama Medical Center, Opelika, Ala.: Opelika Neighborhood Mobile Wellness Clinic provides free screenings and resources to underserved rural areas.
- Huntsville Hospital Health System, Huntsville, Ala.: Vámonos: Making Healthcare Accessible to Non-English Speakers in Madison County Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) offers free preventive care in underserved Madison County communities.
- University of Virginia Health, Charlottesville, Va.: Increasing Healthcare Access: UVA Health Mobile Care Clinicdelivers primary care, chronic disease management, and social support services.
- WVU Medicine, Morgantown, W.Va.: Mobile Comprehensive Opioid Addiction Treatment (COAT) program ensures access to quality care in the state’s rural areas.
The Institute looks forward to sharing key takeaways from this learning collaborative with association members, highlighting innovative strategies and best practices to strengthen mobile health efforts at essential hospitals.
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About America’s Essential Hospitals
America’s Essential Hospitals is the leading association and champion for hospitals dedicated to equitable, high-quality care for all, including those who face social and financial barriers to care. Since 1981, America’s Essential Hospitals has advanced policies and programs that promote health, health care access, and equity. We support our more than 350 members with advocacy, policy development, research, education, and leadership development. Communities depend on essential hospitals for care across the continuum, health care workforce training, research, public health and health equity, and other services. Essential hospitals innovate and adapt to lead all of health care toward better outcomes and value.
About Essential Hospitals Institute
Essential Hospitals Institute is the research, education, dissemination, and leadership development arm of America’s Essential Hospitals. The Institute supports the nation’s essential hospitals as they provide high-quality, equitable, and affordable care to their communities. Working with members of America’s Essential Hospitals, we identify promising practices from the field, conduct research, disseminate innovative strategies, and help our members improve their organizational performance. We do all of this with an eye toward improving individual and population health, especially for vulnerable people.
About The Lowenstein Foundation
The Lowenstein Foundation is dedicated to advancing health equity, social justice, and community well-being through strategic philanthropy. Their focus areas include expanding mobile health care and equity-driven initiatives, supporting clean energy and climate resilience, and promoting student success through targeted tutoring programs. By supporting innovative programs and organizations, the foundation works to expand access to essential services and create lasting positive change.
Contact:
media@essentialhospitals.org
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