Mobilizing Medical Care for Children and Teens
OneWorld opens new Medical Mobile for students in Bellevue and Ralston Public Schools
Jesus with Marisol Gomez
Since 2010, OneWorld’s School Based Health Centers have provided services for over 18,000 students. From preventative care screenings, immunizations, behavioral health and emotional support services and more, students in the Omaha Public School District have access to necessary medical services while at school.
“We want to improve academic achievement by providing services right at the school so children are not missing a half day or even a full day in the classroom,” said Kim Lambrecht, Associate Nursing Director of Specialty Clinics.
Beginning September 2021, OneWorld is taking that mission and hitting the road with a new Medical Mobile in partnership with Bellevue and Ralston Public Schools.
“We are great at providing pediatric care to Omaha Public School students with our School Based Health Centers model and wanted to be able to reach more students,” said Kim.
The mobile clinic is open year-round and features two exam rooms and a room for counseling. To qualify for services, children or teens must be enrolled at one of the schools the Medical Mobile travels to, and parents must provide consent for OneWorld to treat their child and for the school district and clinic staff to communicate. Siblings of students and faculty are also eligible to receive treatment at the mobile clinic.
“I see the Medical Mobile providing access to care to students and to school faculty, allowing them to stay at school to learn and work, which in turn will increase educational outcomes for the community,” said Kim.
During the appointment, parents can join in person or over the phone to ensure their child is receiving appropriate care. Appointments can be billed though insurance or Medicaid, and if the child or teen lives in a family with low-income and is not covered by insurance, OneWorld will slide the fee to $0, and help the family apply for Medicaid and the Market Place Insurance.
With OneWorld’s excellent clinicians, families don’t have to choose between education and health services.
“We will continue to partner with the administration and school staff to ensure the students’ needs are met,” said Kim. “The mobile is going to provide the same excellent quality of care we provide at our other sites. We are taking the mission on wheels!”
To learn more about OneWorld’s School Based, Teen or Medical Mobile, please call 402-880-4870.
Medical Mobile Services
- Well child checks
- Sports physicals
- School physicals
- Immunizations- including Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines
- Asthma action plans
- Diabetes
- Behavioral health
- Sick visits for earaches, pink eye, UTIs, etc.
Medical Mobile Schedule
- Monday: Bellevue East High School
- Tuesday: Ralston Middle School
- Wednesday: School(s) to be determined
- Thursday: Bellevue Mission Middle School
- Friday: Ralston High School
OneWorld Smiles, the first mobile dental clinic, opened in 2006 to bring dental care to underserved populations. In 2019, the FluoRide hit the road to expand services to schools within Omaha Public Schools, as well as provide additional rotations to Millard, Ralston and Bellevue Public Schools. The mobile teams work with school nurses to identify children in need of dental care, inform parents about the services and distribute consent forms.
After the break in services due to Covid-19 from March 2020-June 2020, “…not only do we schedule students at the schools, but parents knock on the mobile door and ask for an appointment,” said Heather Hanssen, Mobile Operations & Outreach Coordinator.
The mobiles also collaborate with Creighton University, University of Nebraska Medical Center and Charles Drew Health Center’s Tooth-Mobile to ensure that collectively we reach as many students and youth as possible with available resources.
As the OneWorld dental mobiles continue to serve students, Heather said the mobile teams are working to expand the reach for services, build new relationships and continue to improve the oral health of the children the mobiles serve.
