Texas Children’s Mobile Clinic Program hosted the Fourth Annual Texas Mobile Health Clinics Regional Coalition Meeting March 20 at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.
Forty mobile clinic professionals – the largest turnout in the conference’s four-year history – attended the half-day event designed so that attendees could share information about a service that brings quality medical care to those who can’t easily access it.
“The time we have at this conference is invaluable,” said Texas Children’s Pediatrics President Kay Tittle. “It’s the one time a year we can get together, talk shop and gain knowledge about how we can improve what we do.”
In addition to sharing knowledge, five conference participants, including Texas Children’s Mobile Clinic Program, brought their mobile clinics to West Campus for all to see.
“Having this hands-on learning tool was wonderful,” Tittle said. “It was nice to see how other hospitals do things.”
The Texas Children’s Mobile Clinic Program is composed of two clinics: The Superkids Mobile Clinic and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile. The mission of the program is to provide underserved children in the Houston area with comprehensive health care and preventive education.
During the school year, the Super Kids Mobile Clinic travels primarily to Houston Independent School District schools, community centers and churches in the Southwest Gulfton area. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile travels primarily to HISD schools, community centers and churches in the Southeast Hobby area.
The clinic provides free vaccinations to those who qualify for the Texas Vaccines for Children program and also provides free well child visits, sick visits and hearing or vision screenings for uninsured children in the Houston area. In addition, both mobile clinics have pharmacies that are stocked with common medications.
The providers can perform common laboratory tests. Lastly, providers and staff members educate all patients coming through the clinic about the different insurance options available to them.
In the summer, the clinics travel throughout the Houston area and sometimes even further to provide free vaccines to children before the school year starts.
