Mercy University has received a $140,000 grant from the Phelps Healthcare Foundation to launch a new mobile health screening initiative aimed at improving healthcare access throughout Westchester County. The program will also provide Mercy’s nursing students with valuable hands-on experience in community engagement and health promotion.
The mobile health screenings will bring nursing students directly into local neighborhoods to better understand social factors affecting health. The screenings will include blood pressure checks, glucose monitoring, and health education focused on disease prevention and health promotion. This initiative is designed to address barriers to healthcare access in underserved areas, particularly those with high rates of uninsured residents, language barriers, and mistrust of healthcare institutions.
“This grant allows us to extend our reach far beyond the campus, meeting people where they live, work, and pray, and giving our students a real-world opportunity to impact the health of the community,” said Dr. Kenya Beard, dean of the School of Nursing. “Not only does this strengthen our students’ ability to serve as health equity influencers, but it also addresses critical care gaps across Westchester.”
Mercy University has previously partnered with the Phelps Healthcare Foundation to provide community members with speech and hearing services. This new initiative builds on that partnership by engaging nursing students in grassroots healthcare delivery and fostering meaningful community relationships.
Throughout the semester, nursing faculty and students will visit local neighborhoods, offering pop-up health screenings at community hubs such as stores, libraries, and places of worship. The School of Nursing will collaborate with its Advisory Board and the Westchester County Department of Health to identify priority areas and form partnerships with local organizations.
Students will educate the public on conditions like asthma, hypertension, and diabetes, while also providing resources for continued care through Federally Qualified Health Centers, which offer services regardless of insurance status.
The mobile health initiative will officially launch at 12 p.m. on May 31 at the ShopRite in White Plains (City Center, 13 City Place). Nursing students will be on-site every week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through July, offering free health screenings in collaboration with the American Lung Association.
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