Funding will help increase access to health care in rural parts of the state.
UNC Greensboro prides itself on providing students with access to excellence inside and outside the classroom. Now, thanks to a $715,000 investment from UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina, UNCG’s School of Nursing will expand its goal of providing health care in rural and underserved areas of the state.
Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr., said, “With support from UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina, UNCG is empowering individuals and families living in rural communities. Expanding access to care and critical resources is an essential part of UNCG’s mission and central to the lasting impact we aim to create.”
In 2023, UNCG launched Minerva’s Mobile Health, a mobile clinic that brings services to clients, primarily in Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph, and Rockingham counties. In these communities, many residents face challenges like a lack of access to public transportation, insurance, or preventive health care. In fact, the need is so great, the Mobile Clinic currently receives more requests than it can accommodate.
This crucial investment from UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina will start helping rural North Carolinians quickly. Through the purchase of a second van and with additional staff, UNCG School of Nursing expects to serve an additional 1,000 clients annually and expand the clinic’s presence in communities from four days a week to six days a week.
The School of Nursing also plans to double the number of students gaining hands-on experience – from 314 to more than 600, said Dr. Debra Barksdale, dean of the School of Nursing. “This expansion is important because it allows students to apply what they are learning in meaningful, real-world settings before they enter the workforce. Experiences with Minerva’s Mobile Health strengthen clinical judgment, communication skills, service commitment, and confidence in caring for individuals and communities across a wide range of settings.”
UNCG’s Minerva’s Mobile Health sees patients with diverse needs that fluctuate in severity. Nurses deliver an extensive range of services – from health screenings, after-hospital exams, and child check-ups to school and sports physicals, wound care, and vaccinations.
“At UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina, we believe that everyone deserves access to quality health care, no matter where they live. This investment reflects our commitment to breaking down barriers and investing in workforce development,” said Anita Bachmann, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina. “By supporting UNC Greensboro and these efforts to provide nursing students with hands on experience, we’re helping to increase access to resources in rural communities and drive better outcomes.”
The investment will also provide equipment to perform on-site lab tests without relying on outside vendors. Because UNCG expects this point-of-care testing to improve health outcomes through early referral of issues like pre-diabetes or diabetes, the impact will be huge.
Dean Barksdale says the School of Nursing is ready to put this investment to work. “So much goes into running a mobile health clinic. From expert nurse practitioners and RNs to tools like glucometers and targeted educational materials that help patients with self-management of their health, there are always more needs. We are grateful to UnitedHealthcare Plan of North Carolina for this vote of confidence in our ability to take care of our neighbors and produce remarkable change in our region.”
