• Clinic On Wheels 

News Release

For immediate release: Friday, March 27, 2026

Clinic On Wheels 

Brand New Mobile Behavioral Health Unit Ready to Serve Rural Areas   

JOPLIN, Mo. – Calling the moment a “long-awaited milestone” for Freeman Health Ozark Center, officials with the region’s largest provider of comprehensive behavioral services introduced a specialized, 39.5-foot-long Winnebago that will greatly expand access to essential mental health and substance use services to the rural corners of Southwest Missouri.

It’s officially called the Mobile Behavioral Health Unit, but it’s also been dubbed a “clinic on wheels.” Timothy Camp, Ozark Center Chief Clinical Officer, has his own name for the vehicle.

“This unit is hope on wheels, and it means thousands more people will now have access to our services,” he said.

Ozark Center serves individuals and families in Jasper, Newton, Barton, and McDonald counties, and while each county has outreach offices, many smaller and more isolated communities within these counties still lack direct access to critical behavioral health resources. And while residents in these areas receive community support services through more than 100 Ozark Center mobile case managers, specialized services, like psychiatric care and parent-child interactive therapy (PCIT), remain difficult to obtain, primarily through geographic isolation, limited transportation options, and higher rates of poverty.

This is where the new Mobile Behavioral Health Unit becomes a “gamechanger,” said Vicky Mieseler, Ozark Center’s Chief Executive Officer.

“By bringing treatment directly into underserved communities, we will significantly improve access to mental health and substance use services,” she said. “Families will be able to receive care in or near their hometowns, eliminating travel barriers and enabling earlier intervention.”

Overall, the Mobile Behavioral Health Unit will:

• Increase access to evidence-based therapies
• Expand early-intervention options
• Reduce the severity and progression of symptoms
• Improve engagement in ongoing treatment, and
• Provide more equitable service delivery across the rural parts of the counties they serve.

“We’re proud of this meaningful step toward improving community well-being and ensuring that every individual, regardless of where they live, has access to high-quality, compassionate, evidence-based behavioral healthcare,” Mieseler said.

The vehicle is completely self-sufficient and can serve rural areas by parking anywhere it needs to be—from a field or church parking lot to a community center or someone’s gravel driveway—delivering uninterrupted care to those who need it the most.

“One of the most powerful features of this [vehicle] is its advanced telehealth capability,” Camp said. With high-bandwidth, secure connections, “we can bring specialty medical health providers, psychiatrists, and even medical specialists right into the most remote parts of our service area. If you live 20, 30 or 40 miles from town, you no longer have to wait months or travel hours to get specialty care. We can bring the full system of Freeman Health Ozark Center to you.”

The vehicle is also capable of supporting two concurrent services simultaneously, with therapy occurring in one space while medical or psychiatric services happen in another, doubling the impact every time the door opens.

“When you look at this unit, don’t just see a vehicle. See the mother who can’t afford to miss work or drive 30 miles for her child’s appointment. See the farmer who struggles silently with depression and finally has a private place to talk. See the child who needs PCIT but lives too far from town. See the rural resident who needs medication refills, a crisis assessment, or a simple conversation with someone who cares,” Camp said. “This unit is hope on wheels—practical, durable, and ready to serve.”

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About Freeman Health System
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital, Freeman Fort Scott Hospital, Inc., and Ozark Center—the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services—as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics, and a variety of specialty services. With more than 320 physicians on staff representing more than 90 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, children’s services, women’s services, and many others for all of the Four State Area. Freeman is also involved in numerous community-based activities and sponsored events and celebrations. Additionally, in the Joplin/Pittsburg areas, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.

Kevin McClintock

Media Relations Coordinator

Freeman Health System

1001 McIntosh Circle

Joplin, Missouri  64804

Phone: 417-347-4606

Fax: 417-347-0279