In fall 2025, BBF donated a mobile health clinic van to the Eye and Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh as part of its Mobile Health Clinic Program. In its first months on the road, the Communication Van has already shown how mobile healthcare can break down long-standing barriers to hearing care for underserved communities across the Pittsburgh region.

The Communication Van is a collaborative program led by faculty and clinicians from the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery in the School of Medicine, the Department of Communication Science and Disorders in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and UPMC, with ongoing support from the Eye and Ear Foundation. Together, the team brings hearing, speech, language, and voice clinical services directly into neighborhoods where access to care is often limited.

Many patients served by the Communication Van face transportation challenges, financial constraints, or lack insurance coverage for hearing services. By bringing care into the community and offering services at no cost, the program removes these obstacles and creates a more accessible path to care. The van also helps address gaps in clinical research, where individuals from underrepresented communities are often excluded, limiting how well assessments and treatments reflect real-world needs.

During its initial deployment, the Communication Van visited six community sites and focused primarily on audiology services. In that time, the team provided care to 261 patients across 243 unduplicated visits, serving both children and adults. Patients represented a range of backgrounds, with many coming from low-income households and lacking adequate insurance coverage for hearing care.

Services provided included hearing screenings, comprehensive evaluations, hearing aid fittings, and follow-up care. In total, the team completed 213 hearing screenings, 34 full evaluations, and 18 hearing aid fittings—services that can be life-changing for individuals who might otherwise go without care.

Patient response to the Communication Van has been overwhelmingly positive. One patient shared, “These hearing aids will change my life. I’ve struggled to hear for years. I worked hard my whole life, but I had a long string of bad luck and ran through my savings. I don’t have hearing aid coverage through my insurance and would have never been able to afford hearing aids otherwise.”

Ensuring patients can continue their care beyond a single visit is a core part of the program’s approach. The Communication Van is designed to return regularly to partner sites, allowing patients to receive follow-up services over time. When the van is not available, patients are referred to local brick-and-mortar clinics operated by the same clinical team, supporting seamless continuity of care.