Community & Service Programs
Governor's Wellmobile Program
The mission of the Governor's Wellmobile Program is to provide episodic and common acute primary care services, health screenings, and health education to uninsured and underserved Marylanders at multiple community-based sites.
About the Program
The Governor's Wellmobile Program, established by statute in 1994 and administered by the University of Maryland School of Nursing, consists of one mobile health clinic staffed with family nurse practitioner faculty members, , a bilingual outreach worker, and a professional drivers. This 33-foot long van is equipped with two exam rooms, an intake/education area, and a CLIA Waiver-approved laboratory. The Wellmobile's unique capacity to travel to several sites each day extends services across a numberof geographic areas to maximize access to care for those who need it.
The Wellmobile plays a significant role as a safety net provider of health care services for the uninsured and underinsured. Populations served by the Wellmobile have little or no access to ambulatory care and typically resort to hospital emergency rooms as the only source of care. The Wellmobile is at the forefront of dealing with health disparities and health literacy challenges.
Wellmobile services focus on case management and a holistic view of health care. Clients who need help with housing, food, medications, and specialty health care are assisted in finding local, state, and federal resources. In fiscal year 2009, the Wellmobile program provided 4,762 primary care visits, 2,903 clients were tested for one or more high risk behaviors or health problems at community events, such as health fairs and community screenings. Outreach efforts for assessment of eligibility for both Wellmobile clinical services and state entitlement programs resulted in 783 Maryland Children’s Health Program (MCHIP) applications.
Health education and outreach services within the local communities embraced by the Wellmobile are essential components of the program. The Wellmobile strives to become integrated into the fabric of the local health care delivery system. Our practitioners seek opportunities to coordinate the resources available through the Wellmobile with prevention and promotion programs in the targeted communities.
The Wellmobile also serves as a clinical learning site for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students at the School of Nursing. Students provide direct health care as well as conducting community needs assessments, coordinating services with community programs, and participating in community-based research projects.
Information for Wellmobile Patients
The Wellmobile serves geographic regions across Maryland. For information about Wellmobile services at a particular location, please call 866-228-9668 (toll free). For general inquiries, call the Wellmobile office at 410-706-6157.
Wellness Centers
Through collaborative arrangements with school systems and local health departments, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner Faculty engage in faculty practice in 4 school-based wellness centers.
These nurse managed centers are located in elementary, middle and high school settings in Harford County and Dorchester County. By providing on site primary care services, the practitioners address unmet health needs of children and adolescents and collaborate with other health care providers to stabilize chronic health conditions and resolve acute health crises. Advance Practice and Community Health Nursing students are assigned to these sites for their clinical practicum under faculty supervision, affording them population based clinical experience.
The School of Nursing also provides technical assistance in counties who seek to establish school-based wellness centers in their jurisdictions.