The Squirrel Hill Health Center has been given the go-ahead to purchase a mobile medical unit that will be paid for out of recently released federal stimulus funds.

"It's basically an examination room on wheels," said Susan Friedberg Kalson, CEO at the center. "We were eligible for $310,725, and we were approved for the full amount."

The allocation was based on the number of patients that could be seen and the demographics of the population. The unit will help the center provide primary health services to some of the community's most isolated and vulnerable members, including residents of senior centers, who might not be able to visit the center.

Ms. Kalson said the unit, which will be about the size of a Winnebago, will have two exam rooms, a waiting area and computer access for physicians.

The center hopes to have the unit in operation early next year.