Mobile health clinics in the United States

Publication: International Journal for Equity in Health

Mobile Health Map is the only comprehensive database of mobile clinics in the United States. The authors of this research article analyzed the demographics of the clients these clinics serve, the services they provide, and mobile clinics’ affiliated institutions and funding sources. Mobile clinics provide a median number of 3491 visits annually. More than half of their clients are women and racial/ethnic minorities. Forty-one percent of clients were uninsured while 44% had some form of public insurance. The most common service models were primary care and prevention. With regards to organizational affiliations, they vary from independent to university-affiliated, while some are part of a hospital or health system. Most mobile clinics receive some financial support from philanthropy, while slightly less than half receive federal funds.