Looking beyond the horizon - Miami Children's Hospital Foundation

HEALTHCARE OUTREACHTHROUGH SCHOOLS ANDCARE SETTINGSINVESTING IN OUR FUTURE:PREVENTION AND HEALTH PROMOTIONHealth on Wheels: Miami Children’sHospital’s Health on Wheels outreachprogram, administered by the hospital’sDivision of Preventive Medicine, featurestwo 40-foot mobile medical/dental unitsthat provide primary care services at publicschools, migrant camps and communityactivity centers with high populations ofat-risk children.The mobile units are staffed by boardcertifiedphysicians, nurse assistants andparamedics. To date, the team has servednearly 100,000 children and adolescents inMiami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties.The program targets medically uninsuredchildren and works to establish a medicalhome for them to ensure continuity ofcare and promote better health. Since theprogram’s inception in 1995, the staff hasbeen able to identify more than 462 childrenwith life-threatening diseases. These childrenhave been treated successfully.Brightening Smiles for Disadvantaged Children:Tooth decay is the most common chronicchildhood disease and low-income children aremost likely to be affected by it. Of the 463,000low-income children in Miami-Dade County, itis estimated that less than 20 percent receiveannual dental care. To address the situation,Miami Children’s Hospital, Miami Children’sHospital Foundation and the Health Foundationof South Florida came together in 2006 tocreate “Healthy Smile, Happy Face,” a programthat’s bringing dental services and educationto low-income children in Miami, Brownsville,Homestead, Florida City and Overtown.Health Connect in our Schools: MiamiChildren’s Hospital supported the developmentof the Health Connect in our Schools program,founded by The Children’s Trust to address theneed for school-based healthcare. Through theprogram, Miami Children’s Hospital providesstaffing for six clinics based at Miami-DadeCounty schools, providing primary care, firstaid and assessment as needed.Building Healthy Connections: MiamiChildren’s Hospital also participates in theBuilding Healthy Connections Program, whichoffers health services at Head Start-affiliatedchild care centers. The program helpsensure that the children receive necessaryimmunizations and that health problems areidentified early in a child’s life.AFTER CARE AND SUMMERCARE PROGRAMSOK FINE: To help children in the city’s Overtowncommunity reach their academic potential,Miami Children’s Hospital teamed up, startingin 2004, with the Florida Department ofEducation, the Alonzo Mourning Foundationand other sponsors to develop the OK FINE(Overtown Kids – Fitness, Involvement, Nutritionand Education) program at the Overtown YouthCenter. The program, which has touched thelives of hundreds of children and families,offers recreational and academic after-schooland summer programs for children at riskof poor classroom performance and is beingconsidered as a model for other communities.100,000Children and adolescents served by Miami Children’sHospital’s Health on Wheels outreach program inMiami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties.Reaching Out20 21