LANSING — A mobile health care facility is expanding its reach, announcing it will offer free testing, referrals, vaccinations and more throughout mid-Michigan in late 2019.

Sparrow unveiled a new bus to serve as its mobile health program Thursday. The bus is replacing an old one the Ingham County Health Department had provided for the last three years.

The bus is a "tremendous resource that will help us continue in our goal of reducing health care disparities," said Ted Glynn, Sparrow vice president of medical education

Here are four things to know about the mobile clinic:

What will the mobile clinic provide?

The mobile health clinic is "essentially a Sparrow primary care clinic on wheels," Glynn said.

The bus has two exam rooms and a waiting area. Patients will be able to get:

Immunizations

Screening for cancer, hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes and other issues

Prenatal care

Some simple procedures

Behavioral health care

Referrals to doctors

Where will the mobile clinic go?

The clinic now visits neighborhood centers, senior centers, shelters and apartment complexes in Ingham County. A schedule is available at sparrow.org/mobileclinic. Glynn said the clinic will start making regular stops at certain centers so patients can get care regularly.

Starting this fall, the mobile clinic will expand its services throughout the Sparrow region, which includes Jackson, Shiawassee, Eaton, Clinton and Ionia counties and some surrounding areas.

The health system is looking for partners to help Sparrow officials find stops throughout the region, Glynn said. It will hire a registered nurse to lead the mobile clinic program.

What will it cost to use the mobile clinic?

The clinic will offer health screenings for free. Patients who have Medicaid, Medicare or other insurance can also receive care.

Why provide a mobile clinic?

A mobile clinic will help bring health care to people who have trouble getting to the doctor, Glynn said. He hopes that will mean fewer people in mid-Michigan go to the emergency rooms for care when early intervention could have kept them healthy.

Contact Carol Thompson at (517) 377-1018 or ckthompson@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @thompsoncarolk.