# Mobile Health Clinics Expand Rural Healthcare access
by daily Yonder, North Carolina Health News
October 18, 2025
By Liz Carey
A new report indicates that mobile health clinics can significantly improve healthcare access in rural communities facing shortages of facilities and healthcare workers.
The report from the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reform analyzed over 160 studies on mobile healthcare clinics, finding they can improve individual and community health while reducing healthcare costs. These “doctor’s offices on wheels” also contribute to workforce development by offering hands-on training for healthcare professionals.
“One of the key things is that it obviously brings care closer into the communities and overcomes a lot of geographic and transportation-related barriers, wich prevent a lot of rural patients from accessing care. We saw in some studies that folks had to drive 30 or 60 miles to get their care,” said Maanasa Kona, associate research professor with the Center on Health Insurance Reforms, in an interview with the daily Yonder.
Kona also highlighted the ongoing challenges with telehealth access in rural areas despite its increased prominence since the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly due to broadband limitations. In some instances, mobile health programs have partnered with hospitals and telehealth providers, offering on-site hotspots to facilitate combined in-person and telehealth care.
According to Mobile Health Map, approximately 3,000 mobile clinics operate nationwide, double the 1,500 identified in a 2014 study by the American Journal of Managed Care. That earlier research estimated those 1,500 clinics received 5 million visits annually, serving “vulnerable populations.” Mobile Health Map evolved from this initial research and now provides a nationwide map of mobile health programs.
beyond traditional hospital services, the Georgetown study found mobile clinics deliver vital services like mental and behavioral healthcare, dentistry, and preventative care, including mammography and cancer screenings.
“First, of course, is access to chronic disease screening and vaccination services, but in other places we’re seeing it being used in mental health services and access to methadone and buprenorphine and substance-abuse disorder medication that is harder to come by in rural areas,” Kona said. “We’ve also seen vision care and dentistry, but those tend to be more focused on school-aged children.”