Nursing students pose in front of the Fresno State mobile health unit in this 2021 image from the university.

Fresno State announced Monday it has received $4 million in state funds to further the growth of its mobile health program, adding two mobile health units and accessible stipend funding for the nursing students that staff them.

The funding, secured by Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, will go toward the purchase of two state-of-the-art mobile health units, expanding the university’s ability to bring health care to rural and underserved communities.

“Through the mobile health units, future generations of students will be able to understand what our community needs, what some of our unincorporated areas are like and what some of our immigrant communities face,” Arambula said in a press release. “The poverty that we have right here in the San Joaquin Valley can only be experienced when you’re actually out in the community. I’m grateful that these investments will allow our students to understand the community that they will have the honor to serve.”

The School of Nursing at Fresno State has operated the mobile health unit out of a loaned RV from the Fresno County Office of Education Migrant Education Program. The mobile health unit has two individual exam rooms and medical equipment storage space.

The mobile health unit has traveled to hundreds of locations around the Valley offering free health care screenings, diabetes and blood pressure checks, as well as vaccinations and health education.

The expansion of the services and equipment is a necessary upgrade for the continued service the mobile unit provides, said Dr. Kathleen Rindahl, director of the mobile health unit program and associate professor at the School of Nursing.

“Our students are making a huge impact in our communities, but that’s not the best part about the mobile health unit program,” Rindahl added. “It’s the impact our communities are making on students.”

The mobile health unit has provided care to more than 18,000 community members at 270-plus sites in Fresno County, including the often neglected rural communities in the Valley.

“With Dr. Arambula’s support and his investment in Fresno State, we will take our mobile health program to the next level,” said Fresno State President Saul Jimenez-Sandoval. “Additionally, and just as importantly, our College of Health and Human Services will be able to involve faculty and students from other disciplines in this important work.”

The $4 million will not only go toward funding the mobile health units, but will also be used to provide stipends to nursing students who often travel up to 70 miles round trip to provide assistance at the mobile units.

“Over 3,500 students have provided almost 20,000 hours of service-learning since 2015,” Jimenez-Sandoval added. “Imagine what is going to happen in five years with two additional mobile health units.”