High Quality Healthcare For Families Hits The Road In Central Ohio
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) and Nationwide Children's Hospital Start the Engine on the 43rd Ronald McDonald Care Mobile (RMCM)
Columbus, OH (Vocus) December 3, 2010
High quality healthcare for children will hit the road in Central Ohio today when the ribbon is cut celebrating a new Ronald McDonald Care Mobile. In collaboration with Nationwide Children's Hospital, Ronald McDonald House Charities is putting its 43rd RMCM on the road to help provide high quality medical services to underserved children in central and southeastern Ohio communities.
Columbus' new RMCM was built in memory of Sylvia Lavin, the wife of RMHC Board of Trustee Member Shelly Lavin. Lavin donated the cost of the 40-foot state-of-the-art vehicle equipped with two patient examination rooms, a laboratory, plus reception and in-take areas. As part of the fleet of 42 other Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles, this state-of-the-art traveling medical clinic will use advanced technology for medical record keeping and information transfer to aid in the treatment of patients.
The medical staff, provided by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, will not only identify and treat medical concerns for children; they will also help connect families with a primary doctor for ongoing and consistent care. While many mobile clinics provide only health care screening, the RMCM fleet at large provides well child and sick care; well-child and sick visits; immunizations; Body Mass Index calculations and nutrition counseling; developmental screenings; vision, hearing and lead screenings; fluoride treatments; blood collection and point of care testing; and childhood health education and injury prevention education. The medical staff can also link families to social services resources connecting eligible families to government-assisted health insurance, as well as heighten their awareness of healthy lifestyles through health care education.
"Nationwide Children's Hospital and Ronald McDonald House Charities have long shared a strong partnership focused on providing family-centered care and support to the children and families served. We're excited that through this new Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, we'll be able to extend that support into the communities where many of our families come from, providing access to quality health care for more children," said Steve Allen, M. D., CEO, Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Staffed by healthcare experts in the communities it serves, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program works to complement existing services, builds capacity and strengthens the local healthcare infrastructure. Sixty percent of the children who visit the RMCM are uninsured and do not visit a physician’s office during the year, and more than half have no care from a provider of any type in an office-based setting. Uninsured children are at greater risk of experiencing health problems such as obesity, heart disease and asthma, and most likely these will continue to affect them later in adulthood. "We believe all children deserve access to adequate health care," said Marty Coyne, president and CEO, RMHC. "However, many children currently are not receiving even the most basic care. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile will bridge the gap between health resources and underserved children, so children with the greatest barriers to health services can get the care they need."
Based on estimated market rates for basic pediatric and dental services offered around the world, the health care provided annually by RMHC is valued at nearly $10 million, according to a study of the economic impact of the RMCM program in the United States. The report, RMHC Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Economic Impact Study1, estimates that if 10 percent of the children treated at the RMCM mobile clinics would have had to seek medical care in an Emergency Room/Emergency Department of a non-trauma care hospital, the cost would have been nearly $14 million.
About Ronald McDonald House Charities
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. Through its global network of local Chapters in 52 countries and regions, its three core programs, the Ronald McDonald House®, Ronald McDonald Family Room® and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile®, and millions of dollars in grants to support children's programs worldwide, RMHC provides stability and resources to families so they can get and keep their children healthy and happy. All RMHC-supported programs provide a bridge to quality health care and give children and families the time they need together to heal faster and cope better. For more information, visit http://www. rmhc. org, follow us on Twitter (@RMHC), or like us on Facebook (Facebook. com/RMHC Global)
Ronald McDonald House Charities, RMHC, Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Family Room, and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile are all registered trademarks of McDonald’s Corporation or its affiliates and are used with permission.
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