Expanding Access to Care Through Mobile Health

Everyone should be able to get the health care they need, no matter where they live. Despite nearly $5 trillion spent on health care annually, millions of Americans living in hard-to-reach places are unable to access basic health care services. Expanding mobile health, which brings health care workers and clinics  directly into the community through the use of specialized vehicles, can be a cost-effective way to increase the availability and proximity of care for many. Mobile health vans often expand the reach of fixed site facilities and telehealth, particularly in rural areas, or operate independently in areas that fixed site facilities and telehealth can’t reach. They bring primary care, mental health, addiction treatment, dentistry and more to homes, churches, schools and worksites in communities across the country.

With the support of the Leon Lowenstein Foundation, CHIR has reviewed over 160 studies to understand the impact of mobile health on access to care, health outcomes and cost of care.