Campus & Community

Driven to provide health care

Harvard University's Family Van travels through the city of Boston providing basic medical attention to underserved communities in the Metro-Boston area.

Photos by Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer

3 min read

After COVID hiatus, Harvard’s Family Van gears up again

After a 15-month, COVID-forced hiatus, the Family Van, a mobile health clinic affiliated with Harvard Medical School, is back on its regular routes.

Founded nearly three decades ago, the Family Van empowers community members by improving health literacy and providing free screenings for conditions such as blood pressure disorders, diabetes, HIV, pregnancy, and more, in several of Boston’s underserved neighborhoods. It also offers referrals and health and wellness counseling. Health insurance is not required, and IDs are not checked.

“What a joy it is to be back out in the community again, seeing and serving clients in person, many of whom we call family and friends,” said Rainelle Walker-White, assistant director of the Family Van. “Our mission, and hope, is to make everyone we see leave better than when they came aboard. Helping one person at a time, meeting the needs of the community.”

Over the past year the Family Van was an essential part of Boston’s pandemic response. Its staff quickly adapted their services and began caring for their clients in new ways, including street outreach and individual phone calls. The van’s community health workers and volunteers helped reduce social isolation, dispel myths about COVID and the vaccine, and connect people with health care and social services.

The van operates four days a week from 9 a.m. until noon. It’s in Nubian Square in Roxbury on Tuesdays; Liberty Plaza in East Boston on Wednesdays; Codman Square in Dorchester on Thursdays; and Upham’s Corner in Dorchester on Fridays.

More information about various services, locations, and schedules can be found at www.familyvan.org.

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Simone de Oliveira talks with a client at Harvard University's Family Van.
Simone de Oliveira talks with a Family Van client in East Boston.
Simone de Oliveira, center and Rainelle Walker White, right, assistant director, work together to administer a blood pressure test to Wilson Viana Silva of E. Boston at Harvard University's Family Van.
Simone de Oliveira (center) and Rainelle Walker-White (right), administer a blood pressure test to Wilson Viana Silva of E. Boston.
Rainelle Walker White, right, assistant director, administers a blood pressure test to Jovanna Tobon.
A member of the Family Van staff administers a blood sugar test.

Rainelle Walker-White (right) tests the blood pressure of Jovanna Tobon of Winthrop. A client has their blood sugar level checked.

Rainelle Walker White, right, assistant director, while eating her lunch, chats with staffer Joanne Suarez inside Harvard University's Family Van.
Rainelle Walker-White (right) chats with staffer Joanne Suarez inside Harvard University’s Family Van while eating her lunch.
Staffer, Simone de Oliveira, left administers a blood pressure test to Fabio Echeveri of E. Boston while his dog Benji, waits at Harvard University's Family Van.
Simone de Oliveira (left) administers a blood pressure test to Fabio Echeveri of East Boston while his dog Benji waits.
Simone de Oliveira, right, practices blood pressure testing with fellow staffer, Joanne Suarez before the real clients arrive at Harvard University's Family Van.
A Family Van staff member reads the weekly schedule.

Simone de Oliveira practices taking a blood pressure reading with Joanne Suarez before clients arrive at Harvard University’s Family Van. A detail of the van’s weekly schedule is pictured.

Assistant Director, Rainelle Walker White (facing camera) heartily greets fellow staffer, Joanne Suarez at Harvard University's Family Van.
Rainelle Walker-White (facing camera) heartily greets fellow staffer Joanne Suarez. Simone de Oliveira is at right.
Simone de Oliveira, right, high fives a regular client, Joseph Rocca, of Winthrop, after administering his blood pressure test.
Simone de Oliveira (right) high-fives a regular client, Joseph Rocca of Winthrop.
Ghislane "Gigi" Firmin who is staff on the van is also the driver .
Ghislane “Gigi” Firmin is staff on the van and also its driver.

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