WATCH THE RECORDING: Mobile Clinics Expanding Mental Health Access to Underserved Communities
Mental health support remains out of reach for far too many. Marginalized communities face significant access barriers—from location, cost and stigma to a lack of culturally and linguistically diverse providers. The need for innovative solutions has never been greater.
Watch this insightful webinar and discover how mobile clinics are breaking down mental health access barriers and bringing care directly to underserved populations. Tune in to hear from these pioneering programs:
- Maine Mobile Health – Serving seasonal farmworkers and their families in rural Maine
- The Family Van – Supporting multicultural and multilingual communities in Boston
Additional Resources:
We invite you to explore these additional blogs, programs, tools, and articles on mobile healthcare and mental health access.
- Read Blog: Healthy Roads: A Community-Driven Approach to Mental Wellness
- The World Health Organization’s Problem Management Plus Curriculum (Healthy Roads was adapted from PM+.)
- PAX Health
- Social Prescribing USA
- Art Pharmacy
About the Artwork: We are so grateful for the incredible ARTWORK featured in our graphic! This beautiful piece was created by a 20-year-old participant in an arts contest hosted by The Family Van earlier this Spring. As part of this contest, young artists, ages 24 and under, shared their mental health journeys through their work, highlighting how art can be a powerful tool for self-expression, connection, and healing. A huge thank you to all the young artists for sharing their voices with us, and to the Boston Public Health Commission for supporting this contest!
About the Innovative Programs Featured:
CHAS Health, a non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center based in Spokane, WA, serves over 120,000 patients in the Inland Northwest, providing medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and health education services to all, regardless of insurance. The CHAS Health Mobile Clinic brings care to rural communities and unhoused patients, addressing access barriers. Their Mobile & Street Medicine Program offers primary and urgent care, along with behavioral health support at shelters, meal sites, schools, and other community locations. In 2023, they hosted 300 mobile clinics, partnering with 45 organizations to serve 1,934 patients through 3,521 street medicine encounters. Speaker: Will Matney, RN, BSN, Director of Nursing, at CHAS Health.
The Maine Mobile Health Program is dedicated to improving the health of seasonal workers and their families with culturally appropriate care! They provide mobile medical, behavioral health, and nursing services at farmworker camps and community sites across Maine. With over 50 voucher contract locations, they offer essential support, such as transportation and interpretation, to connect workers with care. MMHP also delivers vital health education on topics like pesticide safety, hypertension, and depression. Community Health Workers and Behavioral Health Providers speak Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Jamaican Patois to serve Maine’s diverse farmworker community. Speaker: Laura Valencia Orozco, LCSW, Behavioral Health Director at Maine Mobile Health Program.
Since 1992, The Family Van, a program of Harvard Medical School, has been a trusted resource for Boston’s underserved communities. Led by a dedicated team of community health workers, this mobile clinic provides free health screenings, education, and community referrals—delivering culturally and linguistically responsive healthcare to the vibrant, multicultural neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, and East Boston. These areas, rich in cultural heritage, face distinct challenges, particularly in mental health. In January 2021, The Family Van launched its mental health initiative, Healthy Roads, to address the communities’ mental health needs and has since made a meaningful impact by fostering resilience and promoting holistic well-being. Speaker: Rainelle Walker-White, Associate Director of Health Equity at The Family Van.
