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New Mobile Clinic Debuts in the Rio Grande Valley
The new, vibrantly colored University of Texas Mobile Health Clinic rolled onto the front lawn of the UT Medical School at Houston March 2 for its official dedication, which included a splash of holy water and a ribbon cutting.
Applauding the new Mobile Health Clinic are, from left, Margaret McNeese, M.D., the clinic’s medical director and associate dean for student affairs, UT Medical School at Houston; L. Maximilian Buja, M.D., executive vice president for academic affairs, UT Health Science Center at Houston; Kathleen Becan-McBride, Ed.D., coordinator of Texas-Mexico Border Health Projects; and Mobile Health Clinic staff members Elma Requenez, registered nurse and van coordinator; Virginia Cortina, medical clerk; and Emma Vera, licensed vocational nurse. A ribbon-cutting ceremony March 2 at the Medical School introduced the new van. Photo by Nancy Hudgins
Celebrating the arrival of the new van March 8 in La Feria are, from left, Kelly Bolton, registered nurse; Elma Requenez; Kathleen Becan- McBride, Ed.D.; County Commissioner Edna Tamayo; L. Maximilian Buja, M.D.; Margaret McNeese, M.D.; and Isabelle Jeffress, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics.
Six days after its Houston stop, on March 8, the Clinica de Salud Movil made its debut in La Feria, a Rio Grande Valley town of 1,200 people, before heading on the road to deliver free health care services in the Hidalgo and Cameron County region.
This is the third incarnation – undoubtedly the most colorful and high-tech – of the rolling clinic, which serves the people of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Outfitted in UT orange with large pictures of smiling people dressed in bold colors, the van proclaims Clinical de Salud Movil on one side, and Mobile Health Clinic on the other.
The old van was traded out for the new one, which was funded by generous donors, including David Wolverton, who provided funds through the Wichita Falls Community Foundation. Matching state funds helped to complete the purchase.
The Cullen Trust for Healthcare provided funding for telemedicine equipment both on the van and in the UT Professional Building clinic, allowing physicians to examine remotely patients using specialized tools.
“In the last 16 years of the mobile clinic, we’ve worn out two of them,” said Kathleen Becan- McBride, Ed.D., coordinator of the UT Health Science Center at Houston’s Texas-Mexico Border Health Service Project. “In fact, the steering column on the old van broke just three weeks ago.”
The outreach program has had more than 600,000 patient visits during its history. It travels throughout the Rio Grande Valley, setting up primarily at schools to reach children.
“This is a dream come true for all of us,” said Margaret McNeese, M.D., medical director of the program. “The families who are served by this program wouldn’t be able to get health care without it.”
L. Maximilian Buja, M.D., the health science center’s executive vice president for academic affairs, added, “We are proud of this activity and it is an important part of our outreach mission.”
The staff who drive the van and provide the outreach care, including Emma Vera, licensed vocational nurse, and Elma Requenez, registered nurse, came to Houston for the dedication, which included a blessing and sprinkling of holy water by Father Eric Pitre, of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in La Porte, Texas.
Cameron County Judge Gilberto Hinojosa and County Commissioner Edna Tamayo were among guests at the La Feria ceremony.
By Darla Brown, Medical School