VA Launches Mobile Medical Units to Increase Access to Healthcare for Homeless Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs is deploying 25 mobile medical units across the country during the next six months to provide healthcare and support to homeless and at-risk veterans. The first MMU arrived at the VA Orlando Healthcare System.

Mobile medical units are vans or trucks that move from one location to another to provide a private space for eligible veterans to meet with medical providers, including mental health clinicians, social workers and other staff that provide primary care, women’s health, audiology, laboratory and telehealth services to those who may not have access to a local VA medical center.

VA’s efforts to end Veteran homelessness are built upon the evidence-based “housing first” approach, which prioritizes first getting a veteran into housing and then providing them with the wraparound support they need to stay housed, including healthcare, job training, legal and education assistance and more.

These MMUs have been made available through VA’s Homeless Patient Aligned Care Teams, whose mission is to address the unique needs and distinct challenges homeless veterans face both accessing and engaging in healthcare. In addition to MMUs, VA already has 83 mobile vet centers around the country to provide confidential counseling and outreach to eligible individuals in communities that are distant or remote from existing services.