A mobile clinic experience: nurse practitioners providing care to a rural population.

Abstract

Improving access to health care for rural underserved populations is a growing concern. This article reviews the advantages of mobile clinics and describes a collaborative model for a nurse practitioner-operated mobile clinic that has provided cost education, early detection, and referral for low-income, rural populations. Examples of health care provided to a rural population in South Carolina are described. This approach to improving access to health care for underserved populations has implications for nursing practice in other rural areas.