St. Bonaventure University has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to launch “Wellness on Wheels: Expanding Rural Health Access through Mobile Clinic,” an initiative designed to address persistent health disparities across the Southern Tier’s rural communities.

Dr. Swagata Banik, dean of the university’s DePerro School of Health Professions, said the funding will support the development of a mobile health clinic that will bring preventive and primary health services directly to underserved rural communities in Cattaraugus and adjoining counties.

“This grant, and the service it will provide families throughout the Southern Tier, is a shining light of hope and good will and is perfectly aligned with our mission,” said Dr. Jeff Gingerich, university president. “We’re so grateful to the Cabrini Foundation for their generosity in supporting this vitally important service for our region.”

The funding will support the first three years of the initiative, including a community health needs assessment, research-informed infrastructure development, an initial pilot phase, and a larger regional rollout beginning in late 2027.

Earlier this month, the university received a $120,199 grant from the Institute for Technology in Health Care (ITHC) to acquire five complementary technologies — a BodPod body composition system, iWorx physiology kits, an Emotiv EEG system, a Neuro Sensorimotor Integrator, and virtual reality platforms — that will be integrated into the mobile clinic. These technologies will provide health sciences students with hands-on, community-based learning experiences in both mobile and local settings.

Rural communities in the region have faced longstanding barriers to health care, including geographic isolation, shortages of health care providers, limited transportation and reduced access to preventive services.

Compared with statewide averages, these areas experience higher rates of chronic disease, mental health conditions, substance use disorders and infant mortality. Low-income families, older adults, tribal communities and other medically underserved populations are disproportionately affected.

The Wellness on Wheels initiative is designed to respond to these challenges while also strengthening the future rural health workforce. The mobile clinic will deliver services such as health screenings, health education, occupational health and nutrition counseling, social determinants of health assessments, and care navigation. Services will be offered at trusted and accessible community locations

In addition to expanding access to care, the program will provide hands-on, community-based training for students in Nursing, Physician Assistant Studies, Occupational Therapy, Public Health, Health Sciences and Pre-Health. Under faculty supervision, students will rotate through clinical and operational roles such as clinic coordinator, health educator and outreach lead, gaining interprofessional experience and leadership skills grounded in trauma-informed and culturally competent care.

“This initiative reflects our mission to serve vulnerable communities while preparing students to become compassionate and socially responsive health care leaders,” said Banik. “When I first moved to the area last year, I was struck by the depth of unmet health needs in our surrounding communities. Although we are only about a six-hour drive from New York City, the contrast in access to health care resources is stark.

“That gap made it clear that we had both an opportunity and a responsibility to take health care education and services directly to where they are needed most. This mobile clinic is the result of that realization,” Banik said. “The Cabrini Foundation’s support allows us to build the infrastructure needed to deliver care where it is most needed and to foster meaningful partnerships across the region.”

The program will collaborate closely with local health departments, hospitals, federally qualified health centers, tribal leaders and nonprofit organizations to ensure services align with community priorities and that patients can be connected to follow-up care and resources.

The grant provides critical seed funding to establish the mobile clinic, develop sustainable partnerships and lay the foundation for long-term program growth.

The university has received $2 million in Cabrini Foundation grants since 2023:

• $750,000 for this mobile clinic;
• two $500,000 grants to benefit 61 Pell-eligible students in the health professions and education;
• $250,000 for healthcare education in Cattaraugus County.
  

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).