Rush Memorial Hospital is at the heart of the close-knit community of Rushville, Indiana. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the hospital faced unprecedented challenges, but they rose to the occasion and worked tirelessly to provide the medical care that their community needed.

Joyce Geis, Rush Memorial Hospital's Family Nurse Practitioner, said that during the pandemic, the hospital held several meetings about providing mobile vaccination services to the residents of Rush County. “I thought, why stop with vaccines? Why can't we go ahead and provide that total care to patients and bring that doctor's office, that provider's office, right to the folks themselves?”

She went on to explain, “One of the things that we find in rural communities is that folks sometimes have a hard time getting all the way to town or getting all the way to a place where they can get care. So, by coming out to their small towns, they have an easier way to get to it.”

With a $407,900 Emergency Rural Healthcare Grant from the USDA Rural Development, Rush Memorial Hospital expanded its services to meet the growing demand for COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. The addition of an equipped mobile health clinic allowed the hospital to reach remote areas of the community and provide essential medical services where they were needed the most.

Thanks to the investment, Rush Memorial Hospital continues to deliver quality healthcare services to the residents of Rushville and Rush County, and the mobile health clinic has become a lifeline for many in the community. The medical facility in Rushville is well-equipped and prepared to provide high-quality medical services to its residents.

Rush County resident Angelia Barnard said, "The mobile clinic is very helpful for me. I work a full-time job 40 hours a week, so having the clinic close to my house is really convenient. It's only a 5-minute drive away."