Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC) of Greater Houston/Galveston in conjunction with Texas Children’s Hospital recently announced the unveiling of its new Ronald McDonald Care Mobile® medical unit. Operated by Texas Children’s, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile® is a state-of-the-art, fully-equipped pediatric clinic on wheels designed to meet the health care and treatment needs of children in the Greater Houston and Galveston area.
The medical unit was unveiled at a ribbon cutting ceremony with special guest and speaker Mayor Sylvester Turner on February 10 at the McDonald’s restaurant located at 1619 South Loop West.
“I am excited about this wonderful collaboration between Ronald McDonald House Charities and Texas Children’s Hospital,” the mayor said. “Thanks to Ronald McDonald Care Mobile®, many children in our community will have access to immunizations, well-child and urgent care visits, vision and hearing screenings, free medicine through an on-site pharmacy, and specialty care referrals, including mental health and social service referrals.”
In addition, Sylvester said, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile® also will be offering sports physicals, allowing more area youngsters to have the opportunity to participate in school athletics.
Staffed by pediatricians, nurse practitioners, nurses, and medical assistants from Texas Children’s, Ronald McDonald Care Mobile® will provide medical care to more than 3,000 children per year in a 60-mile radius around the Texas Medical Center. The new unit’s arrival is expected to expand service reach by 10 percent in the first year.
Tanya Gee, Executive Director of RMHC® Houston & Galveston said that working in partnership with community health care leaders, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile® bridges gaps between underserved children and local community agencies.
“It travels to locations lacking pediatric resources or underutilizing existing ones,” Gee said. “We want to thank our partners at Texas Children’s for their tireless dedication to our shared mission of service to the children of Houston and the local McDonald’s Owner for their incredible generosity.”
President of Texas Children’s Pediatrics Kay Tittle said her organization is looking forward to the continued impact the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile® will have on families in Houston.
“At Texas Children’s, our goal is to build a community of healthy children, and our mobile clinics allow us to provide trusted, high-quality medical services to children who normally might not have the opportunity to receive health care,” Tittle said.
The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile medical unit was made possible by a donation of $400,000 from the McDonald’s Owner/Operators Association of Greater Houston. Through its Fry Fund initiative, Houston area McDonald’s restaurants donated three cents for every case of French fries sold over the past four years.
“As local business people, we are committed to supporting the communities we live and work in,” said President of the McDonald’s Owner/Operators Association of Greater Houston Matthew Kades. “The families served by the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile® are our neighbors. McDonald’s is a big brand, and with partners like Ronald McDonald House Charities® and Texas Children’s Hospital, we can make a big impact right here in Greater Houston.”
Texas Children’s Executive Vice President Michelle Riley-Brown said that to date, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile® has served more than 40,000 patients, and with this incredible updated unit, the impact will only continue to grow.
“Thanks you to everyone for your continued support of our Mobile Clinic Program,” Riley-Brown said. “We are looking forward to the continued impact the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile® will have on families in Houston.”
For more information about our Mobile Clinic Program click here. For more information about Ronald McDonald House Charities® click here.
