From the rolling hills of the Appalachian region to the bayous of Louisiana, a fleet of innovative vehicles is quietly improving health in remote and underserved areas.
The mobile medical program at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)’s Carolinas and Louisiana campuses has become a vital link to health for underserved communities and a dynamic classroom where future physicians learn to lead.
At VCOM-Carolinas in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the program helped shape student volunteer and fourth-year student Hannah Elford’s career trajectory, and she credits it with helping her build meaningful ties to her community.
VCOM-Carolinas Mobile Medical Units line up, ready for patients
“My experiences radically shaped my interest in pursuing family medicine and not only do I now want to practice family medicine, but I definitely also want to serve in a free clinic in some capacity,” Hannah shared about her work on the program’s mobile medical units (MMUs).
Hannah explained the MMUs are clinics on wheels, where students provide care through weekly scheduled clinic sites, quarterly week-long outreach events, regular health screenings and pop-up community missions. Since their launch in 2020 to make healthcare more accessible in rural Appalachia, the MMUs have woven themselves into the fabric of local health infrastructure.
VCOM-Carolinas students deliver care to patients at an MMU event
"We provide full-scope primary care in Spartanburg for communities where this is their only healthcare. We do everything: physicals, vital checks, vaccines, chronic and acute illness management, prescriptions, preventive screenings and osteopathic manipulative treatment. We have regulars, we have walk-ins and we provide lunches for community members during the domestic outreach weeks and occasionally to patients on our weekly outings,” Hannah shared about the MMU offerings.
For partner medical facilities and local free clinics, the MMUs have become an extension of their practice, enabling care for even their most underserved patients. Particularly, Hannah notes, MMUs help divert routine, continuity care visits from emergency departments, saving community members significant time and financial burden.
Hannah taking vitals at an outreach event
“We’re fortunate to partner with St. Luke’s Free Medical Clinic and their network of volunteer providers in addition to a full pharmacy with free prescriptions. Spartanburg Regional Health System allows us to refer patients for lab work, imaging and specialists. Occasionally, we can’t meet all the needs our patients have. But we’ve got a great team and always try to figure it out, get creative. We’ve helped fill gaps in transportation, increased food security and connected people to showers and shelters. We're also establishing more partnerships in Spartanburg, knowing more of what social services and resources are available for people,” Hannah reflected on the program’s growth and dedication.
As students build clinical skills, they have real-world opportunities to hone their competencies while serving the far reaches of their community and cultivating trusting relationships within their patients.
“You make an incredible impact in the hour, hour and a half you spend with your patients. I have patients at the clinic that I will remember for the rest of my life. No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care—I learned that because of MMU outreach and that resonates with the type of physician I want to be.”
VCOM-Carolinas students providing osteopathic manipulative treatment to a patient
Responding to Those Most in Need
Along with her peers, faculty and other community volunteers, Hannah responded to the devasting aftermath of Hurricane Helene. As medical facilities and homes across the state were left powerless and flooded, the MMU team sprang into action and provided free medical care for affected families. Many homes and businesses were left without electricity or clean water, so the MMU’s location became a hub for basic supplies like groceries that could be prepared without power. In the face of disaster, the MMU team demonstrated resilience and helped harness the strength of their compassionate community.
Hannah recounted how the MMU team came together to create a safe plan to provide primary care, address acute visits and fill medication for patients. “I was very fortunate to be there to help,” she reflected. When the MMU team finished seeing patients, they cleared the area of debris before heading home.
Hannah and VCOM-Carolinas volunteers setting up a free pantry alongside MMU services
Hannah is looking forward to studying the personal and professional impact that the MMU outreach has on osteopathic medical students’ education and their career development, having experienced how it's shaped her own journey.
In 2025, VCOM-Carolinas upgraded to a state-of-the-art MMU that allowed them to expand their service radius to Spartanburg and Cherokee counties. To date, the VCOM-Carolinas MMUs have delivered more than 1,300 vaccines, provided STI screenings to more than 300 individuals, distributed 2,100 free meals and offered preventive health education to thousands. In 2024 alone, the outreach program delivered primary care services to more than 1,000 patients, ensuring that essential medicine reached those most in need.
Cross-Campus Mobilization
The success of the VCOM-Carolinas MMU program inspired similar work at the VCOM-Louisiana campus. In partnership with the Ouachita Parish Police Jury, VCOM-Louisiana received two new mobile medical units in 2024, designed to reach isolated communities in Northeast Louisiana that face challenges accessing traditional healthcare facilities. Faculty and staff recently completed hands-on training, learning every detail necessary to prepare these units for service.
The custom-built MMUs are fully equipped for real-world healthcare delivery. Each includes private exam rooms with diagnostic equipment, clinical workspaces, phlebotomy stations and lavatories. The larger unit also features a wheelchair-accessible lift.
The smaller mobile medical unit, shown in front of VCOM-Louisiana, is fully equipped to deliver healthcare and community outreach
“These mobile medical units are a powerful extension of our mission,” said Ray L. Morrison, DO, FACOS, DFACOS, dean of VCOM-Louisiana. “They bring care directly to communities that often go without and provide our students with vital, hands-on experience in real-world outreach. When our students learn to serve with both skill and compassion, our communities benefit—with care that meets them right where they are.”
Debuting their clinical capabilities at a recent health fair, Jonah Flowers, DO, discipline chair and assistant professor for rural and medically underserved areas at VCOM-Louisiana, supervised two fourth-year students who performed blood pressure checks, blood sugar testing, height and weight measurements, temperature checks, lung and heart exams and even head, eyes, ears, nose, throat exams.
OMS IV students Savannah Collins, left, and Holly Jarkzynka, right, join Jonah Flowers, DO, in preparing to serve seniors in Northeast Louisiana at a health fair hosted by Communities Acting to Benefit Louisiana’s Elderly at the West Ouachita Senior Center
Dr. Flowers not only provided care but also drove the large bus. She reflected on the experience, saying, “I’m excited for the opportunity to take VCOM’s mission beyond our campus and into the community. This outreach allows us to continue preparing community-focused osteopathic physicians who are dedicated to meeting the healthcare needs of rural and medically underserved patients in Northeast Louisiana. It is also a meaningful way to share some of VCOM’s core values—duty, altruism and compassion—through direct engagement with those we are committed to serving.”
Holly Jarkzynka, OMS IV, reflected on the importance of this outreach: “Providing care in this setting for older adults is so important because many don’t always receive preventative care. Preventative care can help them live longer, healthier and happier lives.”
Holly Jarkzynka, OMS IV, checks the blood pressure of a senior attending the health fair
Savannah Collins, OMV IV, who grew up in the small town of Tallulah, Louisiana, understands firsthand how challenging it can be for rural residents to access care. “Many people really just wanted interaction and engagement,” she said. “It was great to listen to them, reassure them and let them know that there are people who care and want to help.”
For many senior citizens who stopped by, the visit was as much about connection and reassurance as it was about clinical care. Cathy Trichell, a senior from Monroe, Louisiana, was concerned about her fluctuating blood pressure and appreciated the time Savannah spent reviewing her readings. “It was a wonderful experience to speak with the medical student,” Cathy said. “I track my blood pressure because I have several health conditions. [Savannah] was so thorough in going over the log I keep. She was patient, knowledgeable and truly made me feel cared for.”
Savannah Collins, OMS IV, takes time to review and discuss blood pressure readings with Monroe senior Cathy Trichell during the mobile clinic visit
Through the mobile medical unit, VCOM-Louisiana is extending its reach beyond the classroom and clinic walls, ensuring that rural and underserved communities have access to quality care.
VCOM’s mobile medical outreach exemplifies how education, compassion and dedication to uplifting underserved communities can drive real change. By equipping future osteopathic physicians with hands-on experience in rural and underserved areas, the program is closing health disparities and shaping a new generation of leaders dedicated to delivering quality care where it’s needed most.
Hannah an OMS IV at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Carolinas Campus in Spartanburg, SC. She earned a BS in cellular, molecular, physiological biology from Christopher Newport University in 2021. While completing her undergraduate degree, Hannah explored her interest in medicine, serving as an emergency medical technician in Blacksburg, VA and as a preoperative aid for three years at a Bon Secours Mercy Health Hospital. During medical education, she has gained early clinical experience supporting free medical clinics through VCOM-Carolina's mobile medical unit program. To date, Hannah has completed more than 277 hours of TOUCH-verified service hours and held various leadership positions including Honor Code Council Member and VCOM Student Ambassador. She has conducted research on the value of OMT in addressing childhood sleep disorders and understanding childhood and adult trauma to aid in addiction recovery. In her spare time, Hannah enjoys being active and spending time outdoors with her dog, Harbor, and relaxing with her crafts, from pottery and baking sourdough to DIY home projects.
More on the 2025 OME Impact Report
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VCOM students are forming powerful connections with rural and underserved patients—often providing the only accessible healthcare in their communities.
In a new feature story, hear how three OMS IV students deliver compassionate, hands-on care from VCOM’s mobile medical units while gaining clinical skills that shape the kind of physicians they want to become.
What happens when medical education meets communities where they are? At VCOM-Carolinas and VCOM-Louisiana, mobile medical units are bringing primary care, vaccines, screenings and more to patients with few or no healthcare options. Meet the students driving this mission forward in our latest feature story.
“No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care—I learned that because of [mobile medical unit] outreach and that resonates with the type of physician I want to be,” shares Hannah Elford, a fourth-year VCOM-Carolinas student. A new feature story follows three compassionate future physicians supporting healthier communities through VCOM’s mobile medical program.
“Preventative care can help [people] live longer, healthier and happier lives,” shares fourth-year student Holly Jarkzynka on the important role she plays in supporting underserved communities through VCOM-Louisiana's mobile medical program. Learn more about this growing initiative at the intersection of healthcare, medical education and service.
