Why it matters: VA Salt Lake City Health Care System’s mobile medical unit (MMU) delivers healthcare directly to veterans, regardless of their housing situation, breaking down barriers to accessing vital medical services.
The big picture: For veterans like Tom Morrison, who lost his apartment of 30 years and spent time in a shelter, the MMU provides consistent healthcare during life transitions.
“When the van comes around, it helps me a lot. It’s mobile. And so I don’t have to go to the VA hospital. And I like that every month or so, they’ll be checking my health,” says Morrison, who has now found stability in a new apartment.
How it works: The MMU is managed by the Homeless and Justice Clinical Recovery Program and the Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team (H-PACT).
The MMU provides services like:
- Regular health check-ups
- Vaccinations
- Food and hygiene kits
- Connection to housing resources
“We are a mobile clinic and we can basically take everything we would doing in an exam room into this exam room and take it out to whoever needs services, wherever they are,” explains Nurse Practitioner Alissa Firmage.
Between the lines: The unit’s work extends beyond traditional medical care. Firmage and her team believe housing itself is healthcare.
“I firmly believe that housing is medical care. It’s the way and the bridge that I’ve become a tool to be able to give people medical care,” says Firmage.
Community approach: The MMU’s success relies on strong community partnerships.
“It would not happen without community partners,” Firmage notes. “We have someone who is our coordinated entry specialist, and she goes and sits at the table with all of the community partners, and they have triage meetings to talk about people that they know, our veterans that we serve.”
The bottom line: Through the MMU, VA Salt Lake City creates healthcare access points wherever veterans are located—turning vehicles into medical offices and building relationships that support long-term health outcomes.
“…we have those little victories every day,” says Firmage, reflecting on the impact of their work.