Maximizing Outcomes Through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment for (Mobile) Health Care Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. LEE of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership, as well as my cosponsors: Representatives Hudson, Herrera Beutler, and Ruiz for their hard work in supporting this piece of legislation.

I rise today in strong support of my bipartisan legislation, the MOBILE Health Care Act, which will help more Americans access the quality healthcare they need and deserve.

In my State of Nevada, more than two-thirds of residents live in a primary care health professional shortage area. In our rural communities, that number goes to 82 percent.

Needless to say, the situation is dire, and that is why expanding access to quality healthcare has been a priority of mine since I have been a Member of Congress.

Expanding the capabilities of Federally Qualified Health Centers, commonly known as FQHCs, has been a top focus of mine when it comes to expanding access to healthcare. That is because FQHCs lead the Nation in driving quality improvement, while reducing healthcare costs.

Across this country, 1 in 11 Americans, including 400,000 veterans, and nearly 9 million children, rely on FQHCs for their primary healthcare. They have been a huge success in expanding quality care, but the reality is, smaller, rural communities do not have the population base to support full-time health centers.

There are also many Americans, in both rural and urban areas, who lack transportation to access their closest FQHC, and that is exactly where mobile health units come in. Mobile health units have the capability to bring high-quality healthcare to all Americans, especially those in underserved areas.

My bill will allow FQHCs this important flexibility to use their Federal New Access Point grants to establish mobile health units. This will allow health centers to better serve their communities, especially communities that have traditionally been hard to reach; and this does so at no additional cost to the taxpayer.

In my district, we have seen the difference these mobile units make. For example, the Nevada Health Centers currently runs three mobile health units: The Children's Mobile Medical Unit, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Unit, and the Mammovan.

The Mammovan is a mobile mammography unit that travels to underserved areas of our State, providing mammograms to women in geographically isolated areas and those who may not otherwise seek this important preventative care that will allow for early detection and simply will save lives.

The First Person Care Clinic in Nevada also has a mobile health unit and is in the process of setting up a second one, which will expand access to primary care to more patients from Las Vegas, to Henderson, to Laughlin.

Recently, I had the opportunity to see firsthand the Mammovan in action, and I am proud of all of Nevada's health centers and the southern Nevada Health District who are leading the way in providing lifesaving mobile healthcare for Nevadans.

We must build off these success stories and ensure health centers across America can utilize mobile health units where they make sense to better serve their communities.

We must keep working to ensure that every American has access to healthcare they need and deserve; and that is why I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this critical piece of legislation today.

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