The Health Wagon

Medical PracticesVirginia, United States11-50 Employees

St. Mary’s Health Wagon began in 1980 with a beat-up Volkswagen Beetle winding through the Appalachian Mountains. Founded by Sister Bernadette Kenny, it has since evolved into one of the most innovative rural healthcare organizations in the U.S., providing critical medical services to underserved communities in southwestern Virginia.

Operating both mobile medical units and stationary clinics, the Health Wagon delivers free, high-quality care to patients across Virginia’s Coalfields—a region marked by deep poverty and severe healthcare shortages. These include Dickenson, Buchanan, Lee, Russell, Scott, Wise Counties, and the City of Norton. The Health Wagon is entirely funded through charitable gifts, grants, and donations, making its work possible without cost to patients.

From its humble beginnings, the Health Wagon has grown into a comprehensive health network with two stationary clinics, four mobile units, a dental facility, and a full-service pharmacy. In 2024 alone, it provided care through nearly 29,000 patient encounters.

The organization has pioneered several rural healthcare innovations—from completing the first FAA-approved drone delivery of medication, now commemorated in the Smithsonian, to becoming the first mobile clinic to offer satellite telehealth via SpaceX’s Starlink. It also led the world’s first remote cystoscopy for bladder cancer and continues to expand telehealth access in remote areas.

Through military partnerships, it brings no-cost care to thousands via annual readiness training events. Its flagship outreach, the Move Mountains Medical Mission (M7)—formerly RAM—has served over 100,000 patients since 1999.

St. Mary’s Health Wagon is a national model for rural healthcare, recognized by 60 Minutes, the United Nations, and the World Health Organization. With innovation, compassion, and community support, it continues to close healthcare gaps and create a healthier future for Central Appalachia.

Learn more: www.thehealthwagon.org

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