Mobile Health Central: 10 years of health on the road

Mobile Health Central is celebrating a decade of promoting healthy communities! The 39-foot mobile clinic was made possible through a generous donation from The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation. Thanks to this support, faculty, staff, and students have been able to expand The Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow College of Health Profession’s vision, serving over 7,500 community members and 500 community events over the past 10 years.

Through Mobile Health Central, students have had the opportunity to serve rural and underserved communities through various health screenings, preventative health education, research, and even recruitment. CMU students engage in experiential learning opportunities while bridging gaps in health services and increasing access to care through collaborative partnerships in underserved populations in Michigan. Additionally, services provided within the mobile clinic have continuously prepared students to provide hands-on, patient-centered care, work in interdisciplinary teams, and become more culturally competent—meeting its overall mission.

Some of the more recent collaborations have been with community organizations such as:

• Local high schools to provide sports physicals
• Great Lakes Bay Area Health-health screenings
• CMED-Street Medicine providing health services to unhoused/unsheltered individuals
• Special Olympics-Michigan
• Michigan Walk4Hearing

Mobile Health Central will be involved in an additional engagement opportunity with area high schoolers in Fall 2025. Thanks to the support of Congressman Dan Kildee and U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, Central Michigan University will receive $500,000 in federal funding to bring technology-enabled healthcare education into secondary school classrooms in rural communities with fewer than 20,000 residents. The program, taking place in Bay, Isabella, Midland, and Saginaw counties, will be an opportunity to expose students to the vast array of health careers and encourage students to consider serving their rural communities as healthcare professionals.

Mobile Health Central is customized with:

• A soundproof booth and equipment to serve as an audiology clinic for pediatric, vestibular and cochlear implant service.
• Multipurpose examination rooms.
• Accessible features, including a lift and a handicapped-accessible bathroom.
• Storage facilities for vaccinations, medication and/or blood.

Organizations may request Mobile Health Central services for upcoming events. Those interested in expanding Mobile Health Central’s reach can provide additional support through the Mobile Health Vehicle Outreach Fund.

The Herbert H. & Grace A Dow College of Health Professions is excited for the future of Mobile Health Central as CMU continues to expand its efforts to reach rural communities.