A product handout image shows what the Community Health Northwest Florida Mobile Optometry Clinic could look like.
The Escambia Children’s Trust extended its faith in Community Health Northwest Florida on October 14 when it approved up to $1.5 million for a new mobile clinic and service to bring free vision care to 1,500 local students a year.
Dubbed the MOC — for Mobile Optometry Clinic — the funding will go toward a specialized van, optometrist and support staff that will travel to 30 Escambia County Schools and initially serve kindergarten and first-grade students before eventually expanding within three years. The initial funding essentially is for startup costs — the van itself, and the personnel. Once it’s up and running, Community Health will bill services to insurance whenever possible. But students won’t be left behind if they’re uninsured — a key tenant across all of Community Health Northwest Florida’s services.
More important is that these won’t be one-off visits like with similar services from other organizations. Once a child has been seen by a Community Health Northwest Florida provider, they’ll be exposed to the full spectrum of Community Health services, including primary pediatric care and pharmacy services.
“Basically it would be the spectrum of what you all as the community health services provide,” said Dr. Rex Northup, a retired physician and chair of the Escambia Children’s Trust Board of Directors.
Community Health Northwest Florida grant writer Walter Arrington expanded on Northup’s acknowledgement.
“We’re going to use the mobile optometry clinic — we’ve already labeled it the “MOC” — as the point of entry,” Arrington said. “It’s similar as what we’ve done with our Healthy Schools program. The global data you’re going to see is not just the touch that happens at the school site, but all over the place.
The MOC will join other mobile clinics already in use with Community Health Northwest Florida, including two dental vans, and a more general-purpose mobile clinic. For more on the MOC’s approval, see this story in the PNJ.
Community Health Northwest Florida is a Federally Qualified Health Center with more than a dozen locations in Pensacola, Century, and Santa Rosa County. In addition to vision and dental care, Community Health Northwest Florida also provides services for primary care, pediatric care, women’s health, and has four full-service pharmacies.
