who we are
Railcare Health is a healthcare clinic that provides free health care to the community via volunteers from local universities and local physicians. We also utilize students and experts in fields like public health, dentistry, and mental health to provide an interdisciplinary approach to healthcare.
OUR MOTIVATION: HEALTH DISPARITIES IN RURAL COMMUNITIES
Rural Hospital Closures
Rural Healthcare Challenges
Rural Hospital Closures
According to the Center for Health Services Research at UNC Chapel Hill, 4 rural hospitals have closed in NC since 2010. On the map, each dot represents a rural health hospital closure since 2010.
Insurance Disaster
Rural Healthcare Challenges
Rural Hospital Closures
North Carolina did not expand Medicaid as of January of 2016 and 21-40% of rural hospitals are considered "vulnerable" to closing, according to IVantage Health
Rural Healthcare Challenges
Rural Healthcare Challenges
Rural Healthcare Challenges
According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, rural communities face complex challenges. Their model offers an innovative way to transform rural health care.
Our inspiration
The incredible woman to the right is Kevin Travia's grandmother, Kathy Minardi. During the holidays, she takes the train from Connecticut to a small town in North Carolina to visit. One time, she spoke about all the abandoned train cars she saw on the side of the rails and the opportunity to use them for good. With this idea, Railcare Health was born with the goal of converting an abandoned train into a mobile healthcare clinic. We eventually transitioned to a more sustainable mobile clinic that operates out of a shuttle bus, but the dream of increasing rural healthcare access is still at the heart of our mission.
Our Models
Railcare Health will utilize local university human resources to provide top notch healthcare to rural North Carolinians that need it most.
The Railcare Health Clinical Operations team follows a clear model to maintain our mobile clinics, all while identifying communities and populations in need of service and executing all aspects of our mobile clinic events.
Current and past partners
