How To Start A Mobile Health Care Business

Starting a mobile health clinic is an excellent opportunity in the health industry.  Mobile Health Clinics are an innovative model of healthcare delivery. It’s essentially a doctor's office and clinic on wheels that could help alleviate health disparities in vulnerable populations and individuals with chronic diseases. It is a specially outfitted truck that provides examination rooms, laboratory services, special medical tests preventative health screenings, and initiates chronic disease management. Mobile healthcare is a proven cost-effective and efficient way to deliver medical attention to remote areas, during emergency situations. Mobile health clinic can offer high-impact, tailored, and affordable health care that responds to the community’s evolving needs.

Decide your target audience

Start by knowing the demographics of your community and beyond. Identify low-income and minority populations. Often, these areas do not have sufficient health services, have a disproportionate burden of ill health; you would benefit them the most by providing health care by a mobile clinic. Before setting up your mobile health clinic, don’t overlook your competition.

Build a team

Your clients may have a diverse background in cultural beliefs and social circumstances. When you set out in your mobile health clinic, you would need back up from a team of culturally competent staff. Staff members who will be non-judgemental, friendly and follow a “knowledgeable neighbour” model of care, thereby engendering an environment of trust. Partner with community health clinics, social service agencies, rehabilitation facilities, and food pantries. They will not only maximize your exposure throughout the community and extend your services to all who need them but will also help in designing the model of the program.

Market research

If you want to open a mobile healthcare business it's essential to gain all the necessary information. Elicit input from patients and community members about their needs and the ideal delivery model for meeting them. Many business owners are happy to give advice to new entrepreneurs; you can also consider taking advice from owners of nearby mobile healthcare businesses. The services of your van should target the highest needs of the community it serves. Vans around the country offer a variety of service types, including:

-Physicals

-Mental Health Services

-Episodic Health services

-Suturing prevention/screening

-Primary care

-Mammography

-Dental

-Diabetic foot exams

-STI testing and treatments

-Referral for social services

-Manage chronic diseases like hypertension and high cholesterol

-Elevator Speech

Location & Transportation

Since it’s a mobile healthcare, you would need a good transportation with all the facilities. Raise money from corporations and foundations to purchase and refit a van which should be welcoming, unintimidating environment. Like any business, location plays a very important role in the mobile health clinic business. Work with local residents to identify convenient, easily accessible locations where the van should park within each community. Identify convenient locations to park the van

Marketing

When establishing a mobile medical clinic, you will start off with zero visibility and no customers. Make yourself visible with advertising. Visit and distribute flyers to community partners and other organizations such as churches, schools, and childcare programs. Pursue grass root marketing. Visible appearance of the van is also important because no matter where you go, you want people to point your mobile health clinic out in a crowd. A high-quality vehicle wrap will get you noticed wherever you go. Establish your brand by building up the relationships you have with your customers. They will help in getting more customers by recommending their friends and family.