Serving the Underserved Through Nurse-Led Mobile Primary Care.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To develop and implement a nurse-led mobile health clinic affiliated with an academic college of nursing to improve access to care in underserved communities and support workforce development through experiential nursing and interprofessional education. DESIGN: A descriptive, community-based quality improvement initiative detailing the operationalization of a nurse-led mobile health unit (MHU) serving underserved communities. SAMPLE: The first 200 patients served by the MHU across five high-need community locations were identified using census data and the social vulnerability index. MEASUREMENTS: Patient demographic data, visit type, and satisfaction were collected. Additional process measures included clinic staffing, services delivered, and student involvement. INTERVENTION: The Mo-Bull Nurse Medical Clinic delivered free primary care services while serving as a training site for undergraduate and graduate nursing students and interprofessional learners. RESULTS: Among 200 patients, 175 were adults (mean age 48), and 25 were children (mean age 9.2). Adults were 43.5% female, 51.5% White, 20.5% Hispanic, and 18% Black. Most children sought school/sports physicals (88%). Common adult visits included well-care (16%), hypertension (13.1%), and alcohol abuse remission (9.7%). Over 99% reported high satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Nurse-led mobile clinics are a scalable, equity-driven model that expands access to care and supports hands-on workforce development in underserved communities.