The Moment for Mobile: A Q&A with Mobile Healthcare Association’s Don Blanchon on Rural Health Transformation

With the launch of the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), states across the country are standing at a crossroads. Over the next five years, new funding and specific initiatives will begin to reshape how care is delivered to tens of thousands of people living in rural communities. It is a "once-in-a-generation" opportunity to bring high-quality healthcare directly to where people live, work, and gather.

To better understand what this moment means for the future of mobile healthcare, we sat down with Don Blanchon, a veteran leader with more than three decades of experience in healthcare delivery and strategic planning. Don currently serves as the interim executive director of the Mobile Healthcare Association and as a strategic advisor for Driving Health Forward.

In this wide-ranging Q&A, Don shares his insights on why mobile healthcare is a proven solution for rural access, how operators can secure a "seat at the table" with state agencies, and what it will take to move mobile programs toward long-term financial sustainability.

---

Can you give us a sense of what this moment with the RHTP program means for mobile healthcare–is it a big deal for operators and stakeholders?

With RHTP funding, many states are now implementing specific strategies and initiatives over the next five years to improve access to care for tens of thousands of persons living in rural communities. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring healthcare closer to where people live, work, and gather in rural America. Mobile healthcare is a proven, high-quality, cost-effective delivery model that must be a big part of the solution here. That is why we strongly encourage all program operators and community stakeholders to engage in their states’ RHTP implementation efforts so that their voices are heard in the planning and designing of new mobile healthcare initiatives.   

Near and long term–what are the top things that need to be done to ensure RHTP builds mobile healthcare sustainability and enables growth? 

Near term–we need to ensure that mobile operators are at the table with state agencies. RHTP funds are flowing through these agencies, and operators must demonstrate how their mobile programs can solve immediate state-level problems—like maternal health deserts, chronic disease management hotspots, or opioid response—so they are written into permanent state transformation plans. For more, they can check out our 'Case for Mobile' report for more about aligning with broader goals of healthcare organizations and state agencies. 

Long term–we must move from a traditional charity funding model to a truly sustainable health payment model supplemented by government grants and community philanthropy. Sustainability is a 3-legged financial stool here–(1) healthcare payments from insurers, (2) grants from local and state governments, and (3) philanthropic support from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Last and equally important, we must use RHTP funding to implement data systems to document return on investment (ROI)—showing payers and health systems that mobile units don't just improve access; they can reduce overall costs for communities, health insurers, and local hospitals and health systems through effective primary care, preventative screenings, and chronic disease management. 

Some providers and experts are concerned that misconceptions about mobile healthcare's impact and quality could hinder support and funding. How can those misconceptions be dispelled?

The answer here is sharing more robust and timely information with the community about mobile healthcare’s actual impact and quality of service.  We all must address individual perceptions and misconceptions about mobile healthcare head-on with greater transparency and information sharing. It begins with meeting people where they are with the care they need. That is the most powerful way to demonstrate impact and quality.  

What advice do you have for philanthropies and other funders concerned about RHTP funds and strategic alignment and non-duplication? Any best practices for engaging with states to make sure funding is effective and efficient?

In my view, RHTP is five-year startup funding for states’ new or expanded initiatives to bring much-needed care to rural communities.  It is mid-term investment capital for states to begin the long-overdue transformation of healthcare systems that can and, wherever possible, should be supplemented by community and corporate philanthropy.  We strongly encourage philanthropic funders to identify opportunities that leverage or multiply the community impact of RHTP initiatives. Such opportunities include but are not limited to providing unrestricted operating support to mobile healthcare programs, funding workforce training and professional development initiatives in mobile healthcare, and supporting community engagement, data system implementation to measure ROI, and program evaluation initiatives that help mobile healthcare programs evolve with community needs over time. 

If you could ask all mobile healthcare stakeholders to do just one thing to make this moment a success, what would that be and why?

Engage your community from Day 1.  Why? Because ongoing community engagement and feedback is a critical success factor for planning, designing, and operating a high quality, impactful mobile program over time.  Hearing directly from individuals and families about the scope of services, hours of operations and deployment locations, and of course overall quality is the best way for mobile healthcare programs to remain relevant and responsive to local communities.   

 ###