POLITICO: Care is coming — on wheels

mobile clinic
A mobile clinic on the road in Leland, Miss., on Jan. 18, 2022. | Rory Doyle/Politico

Health care is getting more nimble as providers repurpose Covid vaccination vans for new needs.

President Joe Biden this week signed a bill into law — dubbed the MOBILE Health Care Act — from Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), which would allow federally qualified health centers funded by Medicare and Medicaid to offer mobile health care clinics.

Mobile clinics have taken off since the outset of the pandemic, with 40 percent growth since 2019, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers. They were often used as Covid-19 vaccination sites, rolling into neighborhoods to reach people where they live.