VCOM View Magazine Vol. 14 | No. 1

In 2024, VCOM-Carolinas launched a new partnership with the Samaritan Health Clinic of Pickens County, expanding primary care access to uninsured and underserved residents of rural South Carolina and using the MMU to eliminate transportation barriers and build long-term medical homes for patients. In addition to routine outreach, the MMU in the Carolinas has played a crucial role in disaster response. After Hurricane Helene devastated the region in 2024, VCOM-Carolinas deployed the unit as a temporary clinic site while local facilities remained offline. Students, faculty, and volunteers provided care from the St. Luke’s Free Medical Clinic parking lot, offering basic medical services, groceries, and emotional support in a time of crisis. “The compassion our students demonstrated was overwhelming,” said Lisa Carroll, MD, chair for clinical sciences and rural primary care. “They showed up not just as future doctors, but as healers and neighbors.” Louisiana’s Launch: A New Chapter in Community Health While VCOM-Carolinas’ outreach is well established, VCOM-Louisiana is just beginning its mobile outreach journey. In December 2024, the campus received two custom-built mobile medical units as part of a partnership with the Ouachita Parish Police Jury. The new MMUs are equipped with

exam rooms, clinical workspaces, and wheelchair-accessible features. They are mobile clinics and catalysts for medical education,

offering VCOM students opportunities to practice preventive care, disaster response, and primary medicine in real-world community settings.

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fall 2025 | VCOM V iew M agazine