The Family Van

What The Family Van does

The Family Van is a nonprofit mobile health clinic and program of Harvard Medical School, founded in 1992 and headquartered at 25 Shattuck Street, Gordon Hall, Suite 013, Boston, MA 02115. The organization operates a single 30-foot mobile unit staffed by community health workers, volunteers, and Harvard Medical School-affiliated medical students, delivering free preventive health screenings (blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, BMI, mental health, pregnancy testing), health education, mental wellness counseling, and referrals to social services on a fixed weekly schedule across five underserved Boston neighborhoods: Roxbury, East Boston, Dorchester, Mattapan, and Hyde Park. All services are provided at no cost, with no insurance or ID required, and are offered in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Haitian Creole.

The Family Van's product surface includes the core mobile clinic, the Healthy Roads mental wellness program (five personalized sessions with community health workers), the Healing Together MBTA multilingual campaign promoting intergenerational mental health conversations, an 8-week paid Summer Community Engagement Internship, a volunteer program, and the Mobile Health Map research and analytics platform that supports mobile clinics nationwide in measuring impact. In 2025 the organization reported 4,424 preventive health screenings, 36% of clients without prior diagnosis discovering potential chronic conditions, 492 avoided emergency department visits, and an $18-to-$1 return on investment.

The business model is a donation-and-grant-funded nonprofit; revenue is generated through individual donations (including a monthly donor program and Harvard alumni giving portal), foundation grants (Boston Foundation, Skoll, Warren Alpert, BCBS MA Foundation), and institutional funding from Harvard University, Boston Medical Center, MGH, Beth Israel Deaconess, Bank of America, and other hospital community-benefit funds. Distribution is entirely direct, through the mobile clinic's scheduled route and special-event appearances. The go-to-market is community-led, with referral and co-delivery partnerships across more than 30 Boston-area hospitals, neighborhood health centers, public health authorities, consulates, and national health organizations.

Name

The Family Van

Legal name

The Family Van

Website

https://familyvan.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Family Van is a Harvard Medical School-affiliated nonprofit mobile health clinic, founded 1992, that delivers free preventive screenings, mental wellness counseling, and social service referrals directly to underserved Boston neighborhoods via a fixed weekly route staffed by multilingual community health workers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Other Individual and Family Services (62419)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile & Street Medicine Primary Care Programs (HLAFAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community-Based Preventive & Health Promotion Clinics (HLAFAGAO), Outpatient Mental Health & Counseling Clinics (HLAFABAC)

Keywords

• Mobile health clinic
• Preventive health screenings
• Community health services
• Mental wellness program
• Health equity services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The Family Van is a nonprofit mobile health clinic that relies on donations from individuals, monthly donor programs, and grant funding from foundations and healthcare organizations. Donations can be made online through Harvard's alumni giving portal or by mail.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Family Van operates a 30-foot mobile clinic that delivers free preventive health screenings (blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, BMI, mental health, pregnancy), health education, mental wellness coaching through the Healthy Roads program, and referrals to social services including housing, food assistance, employment, and dental/mental health care. The van runs on a fixed weekly schedule in underserved Boston neighborhoods (Roxbury, East Boston, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park), staffed by community health workers, volunteers, and Harvard Medical School students, with no insurance or ID required.

Product overview

The Family Van is a mobile health clinic operated by Harvard Medical School that delivers free, compassionate healthcare directly to underserved Boston communities. The core offering is The Family Van itself—a mobile clinic providing preventive health screenings (blood glucose, blood pressure, BMI, cholesterol), mental wellness counseling through the Healthy Roads program, and referrals to social services. The organization also operates the Mobile Health Map research platform to help mobile clinics nationwide measure their impact. Supporting programs include an 8-week paid Summer Community Engagement Internship and a Volunteer Program offering direct service, marketing, and advocacy opportunities. Services are provided in multiple languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole) and operate four days a week in Boston neighborhoods including Roxbury, East Boston, Dorchester, and Nubian Square.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Healthy Roads: A mental wellness program providing free, personalized support to learn wellness skills based on individual goals for managing stress and reaching happier, healthier lives through 5 personalized sessions with trained community health workers.

Products and services

• The Family Van (Mobile Health Clinic) A 30-foot mobile health clinic delivering free, compassionate primary healthcare services directly to underserved Boston communities four days a week at fixed neighborhood locations. The van provides health screenings, education, mental health support, and referrals to vital resources to individual community members, with no insurance or ID required.
• Healthy Roads Mental Wellness Program A mental wellness program offering free, personalized support through 5 sessions with trained community health workers, providing stress management education and connections to mental health resources. Available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole, targeting individuals experiencing stress or mental health challenges in underserved Boston communities.
• Mobile Health Map

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,424 preventive health screenings delivered in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Harvard Medical SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization providing institutional affiliation, medical student placements, leadership (Dr. Nancy Oriol as Faculty Associate Dean), and administrative support. The Family Van and Mobile Health Map are programs of Harvard Medical School.
• Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity development organization collaborating on health and social services for Boston communities.
• Boston Public Health CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal health authority providing funding and collaborative support for public health initiatives.
• Boston Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor Boston hospital partner for healthcare referrals and collaborative community health programs.
• Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren's hospital collaborating on pediatric and family health services in the community.
• American Diabetes AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization providing resources and support for diabetes prevention and management programs.
• American Heart AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization supporting cardiovascular health screening and education initiatives.
• Dana Farber Cancer InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCancer research and treatment center providing referrals and cancer-related health education resources.
• Consulate General of El SalvadorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlternative service location for community outreach to Salvadoran immigrant populations in Boston.
• Consulate General of MexicominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlternative service location for community outreach to Mexican immigrant populations in Boston.
• Massachusetts WIC ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState nutrition program for women, infants, and children providing complementary services.
• Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese SpeakersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supporting Portuguese-speaking communities in Massachusetts.
• Bowdoin Street Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighborhood health center for referrals and collaborative community health programs.
• Dimock Community Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity health center providing referrals and collaborative behavioral health services.
• East Boston Neighborhood Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighborhood health center for referrals and collaborative services in East Boston.
• Harvard Street Neighborhood Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighborhood health center providing alternative service location (food pantry partnership) and referrals.
• Mattapan Community Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighborhood health center for referrals and collaborative community health programs in Mattapan.
• Upham's Corner Community Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighborhood health center providing alternative service location and referrals in Dorchester.
• Whittier Community Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighborhood health center providing referrals and collaborative community health programs.
• Stop & ShopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRetail partner providing alternative service location at Grove Hall Stop & Shop Wellness Space.
• The Food ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization addressing food access and security in Boston communities.
• YMCA of Greater BostonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization providing collaborative health and wellness programming.
• Ekua HolmesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist creating community artwork for the Healing Together mental wellness campaign. Collage artist from Roxbury who supports emerging artists.
• Perla MabelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfro-Caribbean interdisciplinary artist creating community artwork for the Healing Together mental wellness campaign.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Partners In Health: A global health nonprofit delivering community-based primary care, including through community health workers, in resource-poor settings worldwide. Operates at a far larger scale than The Family Van but shares its core thesis that mobile/community-delivered care can produce high impact in marginalized populations.

Regional players

• Codman Square Health Center: A Dorchester community health center that is both a service-site partner of The Family Van and an independent provider of primary care, mental health, and social services to similar populations in the same neighborhoods.
• DotHouse Health: A Dorchester-based community health center serving many of the same Boston neighborhoods as The Family Van, including via referral partnership. Comparable patient population, mission, and service mix (primary care, behavioral health, social services) though delivered from a fixed site rather than a mobile unit.

Others

• Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers: The statewide association representing Massachusetts community health centers, including many of The Family Van's partner organizations. A natural policy and convening counterpart for the Family Van's operating model in Massachusetts.
• National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics: The U.S. industry association representing free and charitable clinics nationwide, including mobile clinics. Highly relevant ecosystem-level peer that The Family Van and similar operators interact with for advocacy, benchmarking, and standards.

Direct peers

• Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program: A Boston-based nonprofit operating outreach vans and clinics for people experiencing homelessness and other underserved populations. Shares The Family Van's Greater Boston geography, mobile/outreach delivery, and free-of-charge care model.
• Mary's Center: A federally qualified health center in the Washington, D.C. metro area serving low-income, immigrant, and minority communities with primary care, mental health, and social services — closely aligned with The Family Van's integrated care-plus-social-referrals model.
• Remote Area Medical: A nonprofit that operates pop-up mobile clinics delivering free dental, vision, and medical care to underserved and uninsured populations across the United States. Mirrors The Family Van's free, no-ID, no-insurance outreach approach, but at a national scale.
• Chase Brexton Health Care: A federally qualified community health center serving underserved populations in Maryland with integrated primary care, behavioral health, and supportive services — comparable to The Family Van's holistic care-plus-referrals model.
• The Health Wagon: A nonprofit mobile health clinic serving rural Appalachia in southwest Virginia with free medical, dental, and vision care. Operates a fleet of mobile units on scheduled routes to underserved communities — a near-identical operating model to The Family Van but in a different region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/famvan
• Instagraminstagram.com/familyvanboston
• Facebookfacebook.com/thefamvan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Family Van