Bringing Treatment to Underserved PopulationsTo prevent illness and provide convenient health care away from traditional medical facilities, The Duke Endowment awarded 16 grants totaling $2.4 million between 1995 and 2000 to hospitals in the Carolinas for mobile medical units. ChallengeMedical services in the Carolinas tend to be concentrated in urban areas, leaving residents of rural areas and other underserved populations disconnected from preventative health care and treatment. Lack of health insurance, transportation or time to travel to traditional medical facilities can keep people from seeking preventative care. When residents do not receive regular medical care and screenings, illnesses that might have been caught and treated can instead escalate into chronic or difficult-to-treat conditions. ResponseBy providing funds for hospitals to operate mobile medical units, the Endowment aimed to help residents with limited access to medical resources receive the health care they needed. The mobile units were seen as one way to help prevent chronic disease and serious problems by identifying health concerns early. Services provided through the units included lab tests, immunizations, health risk screenings, women's health, nutrition counseling, chronic disease management, hearing tests and dental care. Beginning in 1995, the Endowment began awarding grants to hospitals in the Carolinas to operate mobile medical units. Fifteen hospitals received grants to purchase and support mobile medical units in North Carolina and South Carolina. Participating SitesNorth Carolina
South Carolina
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