MedStar Georgetown Partners with CVS Health to Improve Healthcare Access and Outcomes for Children in Washington, D.C.,

(Washington, D.C.,) – CVS Health and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital are joining forces to improve the health and well-being of District children served by the Kids Mobile Medical Clinic Ronald McDonald Care Mobile.

CVS Health today presented the Hospital with a check for $75,000 as part of a two-year commitment to provide $150,000 in support of the important services provided by the mobile care clinic which serves the city’s most vulnerable children in wards  6, 7 and 8.

The focus of the two-year grant has three parts: improving the health of children with chronic asthma, addressing food insecurity by helping families to access resources to prepare healthy meals, and providing mental health assessments to screen children for ADHD and depression.

“As a pharmacy innovation company, we are committed to helping people on their path to better health. We are proud to support organizations that increase access to quality health care because we know their efforts are critical to delivering better community health,” said Eileen Howard Boone, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy, CVS Health. “We are pleased to support the work that MedStar Georgetown University Hospital does in the community and we look forward to working with them to fulfill their program’s mission.”

Improving Asthma Outcomes

Those involved with treating children with chronic asthma will create a questionnaire for asthmatic patients so the care team can better understand their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to asthma management. The goal is to better understand the environmental and social factors that impede a child’s ability to control his or her asthma and to improve compliance with an asthma plan.

Addressing Nutrition, Hunger and Food Insecurity

Clinicians will integrate a validated list of questions during well-child visits up to age 18 to identify families who do not have reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food.  The objective is to connect people to benefits to buy food and provide education about healthy food choices.

Improving Mental Health

Patients referred for mental health services will be given validated screenings for ADHD and depression and then monitored for improvement once they’ve received appropriate treatment.

CVS Health will provide the funds for services like evaluation, social work and case management that are not covered by insurance, but are necessary to ensure the most favorable outcomes.

For more than 20 years, the Kids Mobile Medical Clinic Ronald McDonald Care Mobile has worked to improve access to healthcare for underserved children by providing them with a comprehensive medical home and other services necessary to achieve positive health outcomes.  The program removes barriers to healthcare for children of the District of Columbia living in poverty by delivering primary medical care directly in their neighborhoods at no direct cost to their parents or caregivers. Services offered in addition to primary care include mental health, adolescent medicine, child advocacy, social service, education and outreach.