In 2020, MoveMobility launched its first Mobile Clinic Van. As part of this process, we completed a great deal of market research, which may be relevant to many health service providers. In this three-part blog series, we will explore the impacts, acceptance, and focus of Mobile Clinic vans today.
Transforming Healthcare Delivery Models with Mobile Clinic Vans
North American healthcare systems are actively looking for ways to transform their delivery models to increase accessibility and improve health outcomes. This shift is in response to rising costs and increases in chronic disease prevalence, especially among vulnerable populations.
Mobile Clinic Vans Reduce Health Disparities
Mobile Healthcare vehicles are an innovative model for healthcare delivery. They have already been successful in reducing health disparities among vulnerable populations.
The US data supporting the use of Mobile Healthcare vehicles is impressive:
- 6.5 million annual visits
- Return on investment: $12.00 for every $1.00 spent
- Each Mobile van saves 65 quality-adjusted life years each year it is in operation
- Each Mobile vehicle visit saves an average of $1,600.00 for the healthcare system by prevention
- Estimated that every Mobile van prevents 600 emergency room visits annually
Breaking Down Barriers to Healthcare Access
In addition to the positive economic impact on the healthcare system, Mobile Clinic vans break down barriers to access to healthcare services and improve health outcomes:
- Mobile Clinic vans come to people who are not able to travel for medical attention
- Mobile Clinic vehicles go to people in remote areas who do not have means of transportation to access health services
- Patient-centric approach: Mobile Clinic vans reach out to people who feel intimidated to seek medical advice. This may be due to cultural or language barriers.
- Prevention-focused approach: underlying health conditions are diagnosed before they become irreparable
The Case for Mobile Clinic Vans
With such impressive statistics, it is surprising that we do not see many Mobile Clinic vans in Canada. In our next post, we will explore the reasons for this and how we see this changing in the coming years.
References
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Disparities. In: Healthy People 2020. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2014.
International Journal for Health Equity 2017
Stephanie W.Y. Yu, Ceterina Hill, Mariesa L. Ricks, Jennifer Bennet, Nancy Oriol
Analysis of Annual Costs of Mobile Clinics in the Southern United States
Journal of Primary Care & Community Health 2020 Jan – Dec
