Funding for the mobile clinic was provided through a special earmark item to the federal budget submitted by Congressman Rick Boucher.
Plans are for the clinic to eventually contain dental exam equipment.
The clinic will primarily serve the counties of Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski and the City of Radford, and will be capable of going even into remote, mountainous regions. It will be operated by RU's Elbert H. and Evelyn J. Waldron College of Health and Human Services, which offers instruction in nursing, social work, speech pathology, audiology, nutrition, dietetics and therapeutic recreation. Since FNPs are independently licensed, and work collaboratively with physicians, they are able to provide basic treatments, make referrals and write prescriptions in most states, including Virginia. RU is the only university located in Southwest Virginia that offers a family nurse practitioner program. Telemedicine equipment will enable students and faculty to communicate with professionals at the university or other educational and medical centers.