Bringing mobile medical services to Rhode Island residents
Providing care to people where they are
In communities where barriers to care exist — including cost, limited transportation or shortages of available physicians — access to healthcare can be difficult.1 Finding ways to provide these services to people where they live and when they are needed is critical for overall health.
And it’s in these areas where Rolling Thunder, the name given to a new 37-foot, two-room mobile medical unit from Thundermist Health Center, rumbles in. An investment from UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Rhode Island helped support it.
“We all know that access to healthcare in Rhode Island, even for those with insurance, for those with transportation, is a challenge right now,” said Chuck Jones, President and CEO of Thundermist Health Center. “So what we're doing with the mobile medical unit is going out to the places where we know the most acutely underserved members of our community and the state are located so that we can bring that care to them.”
A welcoming entry point for care
Thundermist is a federally qualified health center that serves Woonsocket, West Warwick and South County residents. Services available on the mobile medical unit include:
- Medical checkups, including for allergies, diabetes management, flu symptoms, skin conditions and more
- Health screenings
- Behavioral health needs
- Assistance with social services, including food assistance or Women, Infants and Children (WIC) resources
“The mobile health unit provides all the healthcare services that you would see in a usual urgent care,” said Dr. Cara Zimmerman, a medical director at Thundermist. “We refer people to care. We do those routine health screenings. If they have diabetes, if they have heart failure, if they need different inhalers for their asthma or COPD, they can come see us.”
Not just care, but a place where people feel safe
Since launching, over 200 patients have visited Rolling Thunder at one of its weekly locations.
“Patients like seeing familiar faces each week. That’s what this unit represents — not just convenience, but connection,” said Shana Streeter, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and clinical manager of Community Health Teams at Thundermist. “We’re also reaching people who are unhoused, meeting them where they are, and providing care in a space where they feel respected and not judged.”
Moving forward, Thundermist hopes to expand the availability of the mobile unit by adding additional locations or extending the hours it’s open.
“UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Rhode Island has had a longstanding partnership with Thundermist, one of the state's largest federal qualified health centers. We're both committed to bringing medical, behavioral and support services directly to the communities we serve,” said Michael Florczyk, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Rhode Island. “This investment reflects our shared commitment to making healthcare more affordable and meeting people where they are.”
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