This project will expand Lurie Children’s Mobile Healthcare Plus Program, which started in Oct 2019 using a modified ambulance, with the purchase of a new mobile health unit to increase access to care and community-responsive health promotion. Mobile health units bring equipment, supplies, and skilled professionals to medically underserved communities, thereby decreasing disparities related to transportation or geographic barriers, insurance status and linguistic or cultural barriers. Historically, they have bridged the gap in accessing care including school physicals, prenatal care and, most recently, COVID-19 testing and immunizations. Our current mobile unit allowed us to test over 1200 students for COVID-19 and distribute more than 1400 COVID-19 vaccinations to educators and youth living in communities most impacted by the pandemic. We have also had early success with increasing school physical and immunization compliance, through serving children and adolescents who had not completed their required physical exams and vaccinations for school entry. However, our current mobile health unit is insufficient in meeting community needs. It does not have the necessary amenities to address health challenges, such as running water, point-of-care testing for anemia and lead, and separate spaces to ensure privacy and confidentiality. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted racial/ethnic and socioeconomic inequities in healthcare access and the importance of alternative modalities to secure critical healthcare services. With community partners, we recognized the untapped potential for the mobile unit to provide services and resources beyond screenings and vaccines, including health promotion, education and programming focused on gun violence prevention, mental health screenings and treatment, suicide awareness and prevention, obesity prevention, sexual and reproductive health, HIV/STI screening and treatment, unintentional injury prevention, su
bstance use prevention, maternal and child health and LGBTQ+ health. A more broadly functional mobile unit will enable us to provide more specialty care for chronic diseases such as asthma, behavioral health disorders and substance use, cardiac conditions and HIV/STIs, which often requires special equipment for optimal management. A more comprehensive mobile unit will allow us to reach more youth and families the expanded services described above. An ecological approach that allows us to partner with community-based organizations, Federally Qualified Health Centers, parks, libraries, schools, and social service agencies positions us to have the greatest impact to promote health and well-being. Expanding the links between high-quality pediatric medical care, health education and community-based resources will increase availability of care for those in under-resourced communities – essentially meeting youth and families where they live, learn, and play. In collaboration with community partners and healthcare providers, this full-service mobile health unit aligns with the 19 focus communities with the highest rates of child poverty, violence, and inequality, as identified by the Chicago Hospital Engagement, Action, and Leadership (HEAL) Initiative started by Senator Richard J. Durbin.