Mobile Clinic Vans
In our last update in this series, we explored the benefits that the US healthcare system has realized by implementing Mobile Clinic vans. To recap, the US data supporting the use of Mobile Clinic vans stated:
- 6.5 million annual visits
- Return on investment: $12.00 for every $1.00 spent
- Each Mobile Medical van saves 65 quality-adjusted life years, each year it is in operation
- Each Mobile Health vehicle visit saves an average of $1,600.00 for the healthcare system by prevention
- Estimated that every Mobile Medical van prevents 600 emergency room visits annually
Financial Requirements for Mobile Clinic Vans
With such impressive statistics, it is surprising that Mobile Clinic vans are not more prevalent in Canada. Our market research highlighted three financial reasons for this:
- Large vehicles with large price tags: In the US, the average price for a Mobile Healthcare unit is $310,000.00 USD. The majority are built using large truck chassis, tractors with removable trailers, buses, or coaches. Due to the size of these vehicles, the ongoing operating costs are approximately 31% more than a full-size van. This often means that even if a return on investment can be achieved based on the price of the vehicle along, the ongoing operating costs tend to make this healthcare model too cost-prohibitive for the Canadian not-for-profit model.
- Specialized vehicles require a specialized driver’s license: The larger speciality Mobile Medical vans require a specialized driver’s license. For many health service providers, this means hiring a driver so the Mobile Health van can be operated. Most physicians, nurses, and personal support workers have regular class driver’s licenses (Class 5 or Class G).
- Lack of available funding: Until very recently, there has not been a formal funding program in place for Mobile Medical vans. We were recently made aware of available Mobile Medical van funding through the Government of Canada’s Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program.
Making Mobile Clinic Vans Affordable
Armed with this research, MoveMobility developed the Mobile Clinic van using a more economical chassis that can be operated with a regular class driver’s license. It’s also one that comes with significantly lower operating costs.
Contact us to request information and pricing on the MoveMobility Mobile Clinic Van to see if it may be a fit for your community.
The introduction of cost-effective Mobile Clinic vehicle options coupled with the COVID-19 Pandemic proved that healthcare services can be successfully accessed outside of a clinic setting. Mobile Clinic vehicles are not yet widely used in Canada for financial reasons, however, our newly-developed model takes care of these financial limitations. We ensured that the Mobile Clinic van would be able to accommodate a variety of practical clinical applications with a smaller footprint. In our next post, we will explore the possible applications for these more compact Mobile Health units.
HELPFUL LINKS
Government of Canada’s Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program
