All Electric Medical Mobile Van – Funded by Community Donations – Arrives at Dominican Hospital and is Celebrated at Ribbon Cutting

Santa Cruz community donated nearly three million dollars to ensure all its neighbors have quality medical care

SANTA CRUZ, CA – November 7, 2025 – Dignity Health Dominican Hospital held a ribbon cutting ceremony today to celebrate the funding and procurement of a new all-electric mobile medical van made possible through community donations to the Dominican Hospital Foundation. This new van will significantly enhance the Mobile Wellness Clinic program, enabling setup in diverse locations across Santa Cruz County.

The all-electric mobile medical van provides patients an improved experience for episodic health issues and preventive services, still at no cost. Services are provided by a bilingual (Spanish and English) multidisciplinary team of nurse practitioners, physician assistants and clinic coordinators.

Many individuals in the Santa Cruz community face barriers to health care, including cost, proximity to hospitals or clinics, transportation, insurance, housing and food insecurity, language and education. Dominican's Mobile Wellness Clinic team sees approximately 1,000 patients a year, the majority of them uninsured or underinsured.

“The Santa Cruz community funded this state-of-the-art, all-electric mobile medical van so that every person who needs healthcare has access to quality medical care and the opportunity for improved health outcomes,” said Nanette Mickiewicz, MD, President & CEO of Dominican Hospital.

In addition to the all-electric vehicle upgrade, the new van includes:

Two patient exam rooms
Patient registration and waiting area
Lab draw area with medical refrigerator and freezer for lab specimens
Medically-fit HVAC system
ADA-compliant restroom and wheelchair lift
Exterior awning and custom vehicle wrap for community awareness

The community fundraising campaign, “Wellness on Wheels,” received an early $1 million charitable gift to kick off the effort and build momentum. Within 2023-24, the campaign raised over $2.8 million.

“We are proud to partner with our local donors, sponsors, and grantors to fund this crucial program to benefit the community,” said Anthony Pagliaro, Chief Philanthropy Officer of the Dominican Hospital Foundation, “This new Mobile Wellness Clinic will enable healthcare to reach a broader population, providing vital care to those in need.”

If you'd like to know when the clinic will be in your community, visit: https://www.dignityhealth.org/bayarea/locations/dominican/about-us/community-benefits/mobile-wellness-clinic.

For more information about the Wellness on Wheels Campaign and other areas of impact through the Dominican Hospital Foundation, visit: https://www.supportdominican.org/mobile-wellness-clinic.

About Dignity Health

Dignity Health is a multi-state nonprofit network of 10,000 physicians, more than 60,000 employees, 41 acute care hospitals, and 400-plus care-centers, including community hospitals, urgent care, surgery and imaging centers, home health, and primary care clinics in Arizona, California, and Nevada. Dignity Health is dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality, and affordable patient-centered care with special attention to the poor and underserved. Dignity Health is a part of CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit health system committed to advancing health for all people and dedicated to serving the common good. For more information, please visit our website at www.DignityHealth.org.