What if your community healthcare center lost power, flooded, or faced a natural disaster? How would you keep caring for patients? Emergencies can shut down operations fast—leaving patients without care, cutting off revenue, and shaking the trust your community has in you. No one plans to close—but what if you had to?
The truth is, emergencies happen. But closing your doors doesn’t have to be the only option. The gap? Many community healthcare centers don’t have a backup plan to stay open when disaster strikes. A mobile clinic may be the solution to this issue.
At AVAN Mobility, we’ve spent over 10 years helping healthcare providers like yours and the Community Clinic of Southwest Missouri remove barriers to care and transportation. Our mobile medical units bring care where it’s needed, even when fixed facilities can’t. We’re experts in building solutions to keep healthcare running—but we also know we’re not the only option.
This article will show you how a mobile clinic can help your community healthcare center stay open and profitable during emergencies.
What happens when emergencies force your community healthcare center to close?
Imagine this: It’s Monday morning, and patients are lined up outside your community healthcare center—but your doors won’t open. The power is out. Phones are dead. Medical equipment won’t run. Every missed appointment means lost revenue, frustrated patients, and a growing backlog of care.
Or maybe a water main bursts, flooding part of your building. You’re forced to cancel a full day of visits. Rescheduling is a nightmare, and some patients may never rebook.
Now think even bigger—a hurricane tears through your region, leaving roads blocked and homes damaged. Even after the storm passes, your patients are focused on survival, not healthcare. Foot traffic plummets, and so does your revenue.
Emergencies disrupt care and put your entire operation at risk. Every hour you’re closed due to a power outage, flood, or natural disaster results in lost revenue. Can your business afford to shut down?
Common emergencies that impact healthcare centers include:
Power outages: Equipment failures, no internet, and appointment cancellations.
Plumbing issues: Flooded exam rooms, unsafe conditions, and health code violations.
Severe weather: Snowstorms, tornadoes, or hurricanes make it impossible to open.
Building maintenance failures: HVAC breakdowns or roof leaks leave spaces unusable.
Community-wide disruptions: School closures or transit shutdowns affect staff and patients.
What’s the impact of these emergencies?
- Missed appointments
- Delayed care, leading to worsening health conditions or even loss of life
- Lost income
Patients who rely on you may look elsewhere—or skip care entirely. Over time, trust erodes, and getting back to “business as usual” becomes harder.
The challenges can last even longer for larger emergencies, like natural disasters. After Hurricane Harvey, many Texas clinics reported drops in patient visits as families focused on recovery. The question is—how do you prepare so your center doesn’t have to shut down?
Mobile clinics: Your backup plan when your community healthcare center can’t open
Emergencies happen—and when they do, mobile clinics can keep your community healthcare center running. Instead of shutting down completely, you can bring care to your patients wherever they are.
Think about these scenarios:
- A gas leak in your neighborhood leads to an evacuation order. While other clinics close, your mobile medical unit relocates to serve patients safely.
- A water main break floods your exam rooms, but your mobile clinic is parked nearby, still seeing patients.
- A Colorado snowstorm blocks roads to your clinic, but a mobile health clinic is set up closer to where patients live.
After Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, mobile clinics were used to reach patients who couldn’t access damaged hospitals and clinics. From routine checkups to vaccinations, mobile units filled gaps and provided care where it was needed.
Bottom line: When your doors can’t open, a mobile clinic makes sure patients still get the care they need—and you keep serving your community.
Bring care to patients during long-term and short-term disruptions
Some emergencies stick around longer than expected. Wildfires, floods, and storms can leave families focused on cleanup and recovery—not doctor visits. That’s where a mobile clinic steps in.
Instead of waiting for patients to come back, you can go to them:
- Set up at shelters or food banks where families gather.
- Offer flu shots, prescriptions, and checkups to patients who can’t travel.
- Provide ongoing care for chronic conditions like diabetes or asthma.
Example: After wildfires tore through Oregon, mobile clinics parked in evacuation zones to offer medical care. They became a lifeline for displaced families who couldn’t reach regular clinics.
Not all emergencies are huge disasters. Sometimes it’s smaller issues—like a broken AC unit or a burst pipe—that force you to close. But those smaller problems can still mean canceled appointments, lost income, and unhappy patients.
The big win: Patients see that you’re reliable—even when your building isn’t. That builds trust, keeps schedules full, and protects your bottom line.
What makes a Mobile Clinic Van so perfect during community healthcare center shutdowns?
When emergencies force your community healthcare center to close, a mobile clinic steps in as a doctor’s office on wheels. It’s designed to feel just like the space your patients are used to—so care feels familiar.
The Mobile Clinic Van is packed with everything you need to keep healthcare running smoothly, including:
| Feature | How it helps |
| Floor-to-ceiling cabinetry | Keeps medical supplies, paperwork, and tools organized and within reach. |
| Patient bed with storage | Provides comfort for exams while offering extra storage space underneath. |
| Optional sink and fridge | Supports sanitation and medication storage to meet patient care standards. |
| Climate control (heat & A/C) | Keeps the space comfortable for patients and staff, no matter the weather outside. |
| Built-in power supply | Ensures lights, medical equipment, and devices keep running without relying on external power. |
| Mobile office space | Includes a desk and overhead storage for managing records, scheduling, and administrative tasks. |
| Wipe-clean surfaces | Makes sanitation quick and easy, keeping the space safe and hygienic for patient care. |
Why does this matter?
Patients walking into a mobile health clinic won’t feel like they’re in a temporary space. It’s a professional, fully-equipped medical office—just on wheels. This makes it easier to build trust and deliver care without skipping a beat, whether you’re parked outside your building or stationed in a neighborhood hit by disaster.
Keep your community healthcare center open and ready—no matter what happens
You’re here because you’re worried about what happens if your community healthcare center has to close during an emergency. We get it. Incidents like floods, broken HVAC systems, or more significant issues can lead to shutdowns, causing patients to miss care and resulting in lost income for your center.
Now you know that a mobile clinic can keep your doors open, even when your building can’t. It’s a doctor’s office on wheels with everything you need to treat patients and keep your team working. From quick fixes to long-term solutions, mobile medical units give you the backup plan you need.
At AVAN Mobility, we work hard to help healthcare providers like you stay open and ready—no matter what. Our goal is simple: remove barriers to healthcare, make sure no one gets left behind, and save lives. If you’re ready to talk about mobile clinics, click the button below to chat with one of our experts.
Not ready yet? That’s okay! Feel free to check out our series on how to start a mobile clinic to learn more.
