CARES Mobile Health Clinic connects Radford University students with community care

On a bright Friday morning in Radford, a small crowd gathered around a mobile health clinic parked outside New River Valley Community Services. There were handshakes, photos and speeches,but beneath the ceremony was something much more personal, a shared belief that healthcare should reach people where they are. 

For Radford University leaders, healthcare partners and students preparing to enter the profession, the May 15 CARES Mobile Health Clinic pilot launch and key hand-off ceremony marked the beginning of a new chapter rooted in service and community care across Southwest and Southside Virginia. 

University and community leaders spoke about what the clinic represents not only for patients, but for the students who will help carry its mission forward. 

“We are teaching our students that nursing extends far beyond the classroom and hospital walls,” said Wendy Downey, dean of Radford University’s College of Nursing. “It’s about meeting people where they are and serving communities with compassion, skill and care.” 

That philosophy sat at the heart of Friday’s event. 

The CARES Mobile Health Clinic, made possible through a partnership with Anthem HealthKeepers Plus, was created to expand access to maternal health services, preventive care and health education in communities where healthcare resources can sometimes feel out of reach. 

As the mobile clinic begins serving communities across Southwest Virginia, Radford University will partner with both existing and future community organizations, including New River Valley Community Services and the Virginia Department of Health New River District, to ensure residents are connected with care and resources where they are needed most. 

University leaders say the clinic is also about preparing students to understand healthcare in a deeper, more human way. 

“Through this program, our students will engage in meaningful experiential learning by applying classroom knowledge in real clinical and community settings,” said Ken Cox, dean of Radford University’s Waldron College of Health and Human Services. “These experiences help build clinical judgment, communication skills and professional identity while giving students a deeper understanding of real-world factors that shape health and well-being.” 

As students step into the mobile clinic in the months ahead, they will not only practice clinical skills; they will meet families, listen to concerns and see firsthand the barriers many rural communities face in accessing care. 

For Bethany Usher, Radford University provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, that connection between education and service reflects the university’s larger mission. 

“Today’s key hand-off is a milestone in moving the Radford University CARES Mobile Health Clinic from planning to actionable community service,” Usher said. “As the regional public university serving Southwest Virginia and the commonwealth, our mission is to empower brighter futures and build a stronger community, with an emphasis on creating a culture of care.” 

That culture of care is woven throughout Radford University’s strategic plan, Shaping Tomorrow – Together, which emphasizes strengthening communities while preparing students to lead and serve in the region after graduation. 

In many ways, the mobile clinic embodies both goals at once. 

While the mobile clinic will deliver healthcare services directly into communities, it will also serve as a living classroom, one where students learn that healthcare is not confined to hospitals or textbooks but exists in neighborhoods and rural towns across the region. 

University leaders also shared that Radford is developing a new Center for Rural Health, which will help guide future partnerships, research and workforce development efforts tied to healthcare access and outcomes throughout Southwest Virginia. The CARES Mobile Health Clinic is expected to play a central role in that work. 

“Radford University CARES Mobile Health Clinic is a faculty-led, student-run initiative leading the way to train the next generation of healthcare providers while partnering with community organizations to expand access and extend the reach of healthcare services to rural and underserved populations,” said Amanda Hudgins, director of research and innovation in the College of Nursing.  
 
“Anthem Healthkeepers Plus is excited to be sharing the mobile clinic with Radford University, not only to provide access to care across Western and Southwest Virginia but also to be a part of creating meaningful opportunities for your clinical students to gain hands-on experience in the rural healthcare setting,” said Jamie Dixon, whole health and equity director at Anthem Healthkeepers Plus. “We really look forward to continuing this partnership in the future.”