Sorry, children: No fries with that checkup

A mobile medical and dental clinic will begin cruising El Paso County streets next month to bring health care to children in their own neighborhoods.

The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, operated by Peak Vista Community Health Centers, will target mostly needy children through scheduled routes. The vehicle will visit schools, community centers and other locations four days a week, said Nicole Noll, the clinic's manager.

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, it will be staffed with a nurse practitioner and medical assistant who will provide physicals and treat illnesses and injuries. On Thursdays and Fridays, the 40-foot-long vehicle will become a dental office, with a dentist and dental hygienist.

Noll and another administrative staff member will be on board four days a week to help with administrative tasks, such as enrolling people in Medicaid and other programs.

The $400,000 vehicle was provided by Ronald McDonald Charities, and Peak Vista has budgeted $500,000 for this year to staff and maintain it. There are about three dozen Ronald McDonald mobiles in the world; this is the first in the U.S. to run on biodiesel.

The vehicle includes two exam rooms, a laboratory and a small waiting area. The dental chairs can be converted to exam tables in the two rooms.

The clinic opens today for dental visits in the parking lot of Peak Vista's clinic at 2828 International Circle as staff members get accustomed to working on it and its travel itinerary is worked out, Noll said. Scheduled locations and times will be available online at peakvista.org or rmhcs.org.

By bringing medical care to needy children where they live, Peak Vista hopes to remove transportation barriers for parents. Although Peak Vista is known best for treating the uninsured and underinsured, its mission is to help people facing barriers getting health care, financial or otherwise.

-

Call Newsome at 636-0198.