Roper St. Francis Healthcare launches Mobile Care for You unit to expand access across Lowcountry

 “Mobile Care for You is another way we are advancing our 2030 Strategic Plan and optimizing our footprint to expand access to quality care,” said Joseph DeLeon, President & CEO of Roper St. Francis Healthcare. “Our commitment to the Lowcountry extends beyond the walls of our hospitals and medical offices. By bringing care directly into communities, we can help remove barriers and connect more people with the services and resources they need to live healthier lives.”  

Mobile Care for You was developed in response to identified gaps in access to care throughout the region, particularly in rural communities where residents may have to travel greater distances to receive services. The unit gives the Roper St. Francis Health Services Center greater flexibility to take clinical care and resources directly into those communities.  

“We recognized that for many people in the communities we serve, the greatest barrier to healthcare is not a lack of desire to receive care—it is access,” said Dr. Tawana Philpott Brown, Program Director of the Roper St. Francis Health Services Center.

Mobile Care for You will work alongside Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s existing Mobile Health Unit, which provides health screenings, education and resource connections at community events across the Tri-County Area. The new unit expands that mobile outreach with additional clinical and supportive services and a broader seven-county reach.  

As a recipient of federal Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part C funding, the Roper St. Francis Health Services Center is eligible to participate in the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program. Savings generated through the Center’s participation in 340B were reinvested to help make Mobile Care for You possible—extending healthcare beyond traditional clinic walls and expanding access to services throughout the communities we serve. The program also relies on partnerships across Roper St. Francis Healthcare and with community organizations to connect residents with needed services and ongoing care. One of those collaborations is an existing partnership with MUSC that will expand access to preventive dental services through the unit.  

The partnership between the Roper St. Francis Health Services program and the James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine at MUSC has resulted in more patients living with HIV and AIDS getting their dental care needs met, said Dr. Amy Martin, Senior Associate Dean at MUSC. It is also strengthening our state’s dental workforce through a clinical rotation in the Roper St. Francis Healthcare program where our students gain knowledge and skill in dentistry for patients living with HIV and AIDS, she said. 

“The impact for the state is a dental workforce with greater efficacy in meeting the oral health needs of this special population,” Dr. Martin said. “Building upon the success of this partnership, the Roper St. Francis Health Services Center and MUSC are expanding their footprint into rural communities to increase access to essential health services, including dental care. As our reach grows, so does our vision for oral health access — extending dental services beyond individuals living with HIV to serve people throughout the communities we reach who may otherwise experience barriers to receiving care. Through expanded community partnerships, we are working to bring high-quality, compassionate dental care closer to where people live, particularly in rural and underserved areas.”