Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Continues to Increase Visits

SPOKANE, Wash. — The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, a mobile health and dental clinic, saw 942 children between July and December 2005 and provided more than $108,133 in in-kind medical and dental services to children in the Spokane area.

“The most in-demand and popular services offered by the Care Mobile are the dental services, including screenings, cleanings, fluoride treatments, sealants, and x-rays.” said Chris Riebe, Ronald McDonald Care Mobile manager.

“The dental program, which is supported by volunteers and funded by grants and community contributions, has been in place since January of 2004.  Restorative dental services were added in July of 2005. Other health related services provided by the Care Mobile include sports physicals, immunizations and well-child exams,” Riebe said.

The $300,000 state-of-the-art 40-foot mobile pediatric unit is managed and operated by nurse practitioners from the Washington State University Intercollegiate College of Nursing. It is equipped with two exam rooms and delivers medical and dental care directly to underserved children at locations in their own neighborhoods such as schools, high traffic business and not-for-profit locations, community centers and select local McDonald’s restaurants in connection with special events. Services are provided at no charge. The Care Mobile also welcomes walk-ins, although they cannot guarantee an immediate opening.

The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile is a community health care outreach service of the WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing and Inland Northwest Health Services and receives support from the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Spokane, Spokane McDonald’s Restaurants and several local funding partners. The Care Mobile staff is funded, in part, through a 2002 Health Resources and Services Administration grant for the Basic Nurse Education and Practice Program.

For more information about the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, visit www.spokanecaremobile.org, or contact Riebe at (509) 324-7217, criebe@wsu.edu, or program coordinator Julie Shapori at (509) 324-7291, jshapori@wsu.edu.

Established in 1968, the WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing is fully-accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The college is the nation’s oldest and most comprehensive nursing education consortium and is the largest college of nursing in the Northwest. Celebrating 38 years of world-class nursing education, the college offers baccalaureate, graduate and professional development course work to nursing students enrolled through its four consortium partners: Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, WSU and Whitworth College. Each year the college educates more than 850 graduate and upper-division undergraduate students and prepares more entry-level nurses than any other Washington state educational institution. For more information about the College of Nursing, visit the Web site at nursing.wsu.edu.