UVA Health is one of five health systems nationwide selected to join a mobile care collaborative to share lessons learned and discover how to enhance the services provided by its mobile care unit.
UVA Health is receiving a $10,000 grant from the Lowenstein Foundation to participate in the collaborative, which runs through October. The selected health systems will work with research and education group Essential Hospitals Institute to cover key topics that include building trust, increasing care capacity, financing and staffing.
“There are very few of these mobile care units in the United States that provide primary care services,” said Novella W. Thompson, MBA, ALM-C, FACHE, administrator of UVA Health’s Population Health Department. “Through the collaborative, we hope to share our lessons learned and best practices, as well as see how other health systems are focusing their services and measuring healthy outcomes for all.”
Mobile Care at UVA Health
UVA Health’s mobile care unit, which formally launched in January, can provide initial care and then help a patient establish care at a brick-and-mortar outpatient clinic; provide non-emergency care that can’t wait for a scheduled visit; or serve as a patient’s primary care provider.
The mobile care unit’s services include:
- general health check-ups
- chronic disease management
- pediatric care
- care for minor illnesses and injuries
- women’s health
- lab tests
Appointments are available by calling 434.297.7800; walk-in patients are also welcome. The mobile care unit makes regular visits to the Fifeville and Southwood neighborhoods in the Charlottesville area.
“An important part of our strategic plan is making it easier for patients to receive the care they need, and bringing care to patients through initiatives such as the mobile care unit is vital to improving access,” said Wendy Horton, PharmD, MBA, chief executive officer of UVA Health University Medical Center. “I am excited to see what Novella and her team learn that will help us continue to enhance the care we provide outside the walls of our hospital.”
