USF College of Nursing secures four-year, $3.85 million HRSA grant for a mobile health unit to advance nursing education and improve health in disadvantaged Tampa Bay communities

TAMPA, Fla. (July 7, 2022) – The University of South Florida College of Nursing is advancing nursing education and increasing access to health care in medically underserved areas through a nurse-managed Mobile Health Unit (MHU) with the help of a four-year $3.85 million Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant (award number UK1HP46068).

Continued funding for the next four years will depend on meeting the proposed metrics for the 21-foot mobile health unit. The MHU, with two exam rooms, bathroom, and pop-up awning, will serve Port Tampa Bay, Sulphur Springs, Tampa Heights, Wimauma, and South St. Petersburg, all communities that face disparities in access and quality of care. Staffing will include two advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), a patient care coordinator, faculty preceptor and students.

Care will include typical primary care (well visits and physicals), common acute and chronic health issues, point of care tests (blood glucose, pregnancy, rapid strep, etc.) and immunizations.

Dean Usha Menon

Principal Investigator Usha Menon, RN, PhD, FAAN, senior associate vice president of USF Health and dean of the College of Nursing, and her team identified the critical need for access to health care, “This will be a catalyst for expanded care beyond our urban and greater metropolitan areas,” Menon said. “This will be a true interprofessional practice opportunity with robust participation by the College of Public Health and the Taneja College of Pharmacy.”

The MHU will serve as a clinical site for undergraduate nursing students in both the traditional and accelerated second-degree pathways. Graduate students from the Family Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, and Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Concentrations will also rotate through the MHU. Master of Public Health (MPH) students from the College of Public Health and Doctor of Pharmacy students from the Taneja College of Pharmacy (TCOP) will complete clinical rotations in the MHU starting in 2023.

“This Health Resources and Service Administration grant will greatly improve access and quality of care for Tampa’s underserved and vulnerable populations,” said Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “It will also provide USF Health undergraduate and graduate students with valuable first-hand interprofessional care experiences at additional clinical sites.”