La Maestra Community Health Centers is using a telemedicine grant from the Verizon Foundation to reach children who may never have seen a doctor or dentist.
The $90,000 grant, given last fall, has allowed La Maestra to equip a van with the latest in mHealth equipment, including X-ray technology, to create a state-of-the-art mobile clinic. Officials say the clinic can deliver mobile health to patients at schools, housing complexes, community events and key retail shopping areas.
In addition to the mobile health van, the 23-year-old community health program operates four primary medical health centers, eight dental clinics, a mental health unit and four school-based health centers in the low-income communities of City Heights, El Cajon, Lemon Grove and National City, serving some 45,000 patients a year.
While many healthcare providers are still using film X-ray, La Maestra's mobile clinic will soon add digital capabilities, enabling providers to catch potentially life-threatening conditions in advance. The new telemedicine capabilities will also bridge the gap between the mobile clinic and medical clinics, officials said, making timely patient-provider consultations more attainable and patients' records more accessible.
With the foundation's support, La Maestra's mobile medical clinic has established a regular schedule at five schools in the San Diego Unified School District and two schools at the National school district in National City.
"Access to medical and dental care is always a challenge for our patient population, and La Maestra is dedicated to expanding opportunities for families in this area," said Zara Marselian, CEO of La Maestra Community Health Centers, in a news release. "Many of the children who visit our mobile clinic have never seen a doctor or a dentist before. Our partnership with Verizon is having an immediate impact and changing people's lives, and it's helping the healthcare system by keeping patients from using emergency rooms for primary medical care."
La Maestra officials said they are working to bring the mobile clinic to more area schools.
