Program Implementation

The Mobile Health and Wellness Program was designed to meet the specific needs of the communities it serves.

Many of our participants are over the age of 65 or have a disability and reside in low-income housing in an urban neighborhood with high rates of crime, limited access to transportation, and few options for shopping and food access. Our rural participants live in areas that have limited access to specialty care (i.e., obstetrics, substance use, cardiology, pulmonology, dental)—often requiring them to travel over an hour for treatment and further complicated by restricted transportation options and resources.

Establishing a community wellness clinic requires a thorough initial needs assessment, consultation with community representatives and ongoing evaluation once in operation. The program should be designed with special consideration for its accessibility, sustainability, frequency, staffing and partnerships.

Program Plan

The following plan outlines the foundational elements of MHWP.

On-Site Supplies

  • stethoscope
  • otoscope
  • glucometer and associated supplies (alcohol pads, gauze, lancets)
  • blood pressure monitor
  • scale
  • laptop/tablet
  • perinatal ultrasound

Creating Interdisciplinary Teams

In MHWP, interdisciplinary teams were formed from students across multiple schools on VCU’s health sciences campus. Although the number and type of students varies, on most days 10 to 20 students are assigned a clinical experience at MHWP. Teams are composed of four students who interact with one participant at a time. Teams may differ depending on the type of program offered; however, a crucial component of implementing this program is the use of students from different health professions.

At MHWP, teams consist of students from the following disciplines:

  • nursing
  • pharmacy
  • social work
  • medicine
  • law
  • physical therapy
  • occupational therapy
  • kinesiology and health sciences
  • psychology

Social Drivers to Health

In MHWP, we believe the social drivers of health are critical to managing chronic diseases. Our team screens everyone for social determinants of health needs and mobilizes resources to meet those needs. 50% of our participants have food insecurity, 35% have housing insecurity, and 13% have transportation barriers that limit their access to care. 

At MHWP, the team provides education, resources and coordination for:

  • Food/nutrition
  • Health insurance
  • Transportation to health care appointments based on insurance type and provider 
  • Health literacy 
  • Housing 
  • Personal technology 
  • Financial 
  • Advanced care planning
  • Legal 

Enrolling Participants

For clinic sites in multi-unit residential buildings, a resident services coordinator, building manager and community leaders promote the program to residents. Resident participation in the program is voluntary. Outreach advertising the program occurs through informational town hall-style sessions in each building, word of mouth and referrals from resident services coordinators.

Individuals who wish to participate sign a consent form as part of the enrollment process. The consent form:

  • confirms that participation is voluntary
  • states that the participant can drop out at any time
  • describes the services provided through program
  • informs the participant that these services do not replace those provided by their health care provider

Because the MHWP team does not have access to medical records, the resident-participant is informed that their data and activities are recorded by MHWP as “case notes.” (Visit the case notes section of the Participant Visits page for more information.)

Assessing and Strategizing Student Training