Work described in this story was made possible in part by federal funding supported by taxpayers. At Harvard Medical School, the future of efforts like this - done in service to humanity - now hangs in the balance due to the government's decision to terminate large numbers of federally funded grants and contracts across Harvard University.
- By JAKE MILLER
A five-year, $1 million grant to Harvard University from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that began in July 2024 was designed to provide support for a sector of the American health care system that can save lives, reduce the rate of serious disease, and lower costs of medical treatment.
In April 2025, before even the first year of funding had been completed, the grant was canceled.
The Harvard Medical School-based Mobile Health Map - the research and education arm of The Family Van - had been awarded the funds to spread the word about the value of mobile health clinics and bring best practices and technical assistance to such clinics across the country.
For more than 30 years, The Family Van team has helped demonstrate that mobile health clinics are a simple, cost-effective way to reduce avoidable illnesses among the millions of people around the country who don't have adequate access to medical care, including those who live in rural and urban health care deserts and those without health insurance. Such clinics can provide screenings; education; and primary, specialty, and preventive care in a health system that tends to focus on managing diseases that have already developed.
