Loyola's Ronald McDonald® Children's Hospital Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Pediatric Mobile Health Unit

MAYWOOD - Asthma patient Michelle Boens, 13, can breathe easier knowing that care is a short ride away, thanks to Loyola's Pediatric Mobile Health Unit, which celebrates its 10th anniversary on Monday, October 27. Boens has been treated for asthma by health care providers in the Pediatric Mobile Health Unit of the Ronald McDonald® Childrens Hospital of Loyola University Medical Center since the clinic opened its doors in 1998. "The care my daughter receives from Loyola's Pediatric Mobile Health Unit has kept her asthma under control and prevented her from missing school," said mother Michelle Boens. The mobile unit is a 13-ton, 40-foot health facility that travels to schools throughout Chicago and its suburbs to treat medically underserved children each weekday. The clinic on wheels was the first of its kind in the Midwest. It offers routine physical examinations, immunizations, health screenings, educational sessions, lab tests, asthma checks and prenatal visits. "The tenth anniversary of Loyola's Pediatric Mobile Health Unit marks a decade of providing care and improving the quality of life for children in underprivileged communities," said Susan Finn, MSN, program director, Pediatric Mobile Health Unit. "Nearly 86,000 uninsured and underinsured children have benefited from this program, which has led to reduced school absences and emergency department visits." The Pediatric Mobile Health Unit is scheduled to visit Casimir Pulaski Elementary Fine Arts Academy on Chicagos northwest side Monday