Background University-sponsored mobile health vans are a popular method of supporting individuals with significant barriers to receiving healthcare by tailoring services to the community’s needs. Their main challenges are longevity and sustainability. Departure of an established van program from a community without other programming in place can have negative effects on the neighborhood’s health. These weaknesses must be addressed prior to developing this program.

Methods Eight qualitative interviews were conducted with key informants to provide a deeper understanding of mobile health financing and operations sustainability. These interviews focused on the programs at five reputed university-affiliated mobile health vans in different stages of sustainability. Participants were identified through snowball sampling. All interviews were recorded using Zoom. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using NVIVO.

Results Four emerging themes of funding, affiliation, sustainability, and community focus were identified. A series of recommendation questions were developed from the specific findings of each theme and compiled into a guide. The main downfalls of mobile health vans stem from inconsistent funding and universities not being fully committed to communities. Vans can sidestep most limiting factors they run into by having preemptive plans in place and a clear mission statement that the university can stay grounded to.

Conclusion University-sponsored mobile health vans have potential if they are created with the community at the center of their intentions. The recommendations developed from this qualitative analysis will help to create a sustainability and implementation guide for university-sponsored mobile health vans and secure support for communities in need.