Community Care Vans

Mass General Brigham's mobile medical Community Care Vans bring a broad menu of mobile medical services, including screenings and interventions for chronic health issues like hypertension, diabetes, and substance use disorders. The Community Care Vans, originally deployed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, are staffed with multilingual and multicultural clinicians and support staff to better connect with the communities served by Mass General Brigham.

In January of 2021, Mass General Brigham launched a fleet of Community Care Vans in our local communities hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, providing COVID testing, vaccines, and reliable health information to patients and residents. Information and resources were provided in a variety of languages along with care kits containing items like masks and hand sanitizer.

As of May 2023, the Community Care Vans had administered more than 20,000 vaccines to community residents. To address social determinants of health, patients are screened for issues related to housing, access to healthy food, and personal safety, and connected with relevant resources.

Now, as COVID-19 transitions from an acute pandemic to a more endemic state, the Mass General Brigham mobile medical Community Care Vans have also evolved to meet people where they are and currently provide the following services:

• Hypertension and diabetes care: Screening and intervention, including blood pressure readings, lipid and A1C levels testing and physical activity assessments, titration of medication and connection to primary care medical homes
• Substance use disorder: Screening, treatment program referrals and recovery coaching
• Social risk mitigation: Ongoing assessments on social determinants of health (food, housing, etc.) with connection to services