Clinic tries to draw more clients
A Washington State University nursing student put 9-year-old Ashley Love on a scale, took her blood pressure and tested her eyes Tuesday in the Sacajawea Middle School parking lot.
It was just another day of nurse practitioners, student trainees and patients in the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, a roving clinic on wheels that helps people regardless of their ability to pay.
Love needed a physical to get into a summer camp, and so did her sister. Her mother, Rosanne Love, had grabbed a Care Mobile flier at Bloomsday and called for an appointment.
Last year, about 1,100 people used the mobile clinic for services like immunizations, health screens and physicals.
“We’d like to at least double that,” said Care Mobile director Chris Riebe.
In an effort to increase the number of clients, the Care Mobile is trying out a one-year pilot program in which no one will be charged for medical care. In the past, in some cases, those with insurance were asked to pay whatever was not covered. The Love family will not be charged for the two physicals.
Rosanne Love said she sees the Care Mobile all over town. “More people should use it,” she said.
The mission all along has been to target underserved people, Riebe said. Still, she suspects potential patients are hesitant to believe that no one is turned away.
There is no catch, she said, although nurses do ask for some information to help determine patients’ income levels for future grants.
Spokane’s Care Mobile is one of 25 in the country. It’s easy to spot, with the smiling image of Ronald McDonald and his outstretched arms painted on the truck trailer.
Inside are two examination rooms and even an X-ray machine that has a swinging arm secured with bungee cords.
Riebe and another nurse practitioner are on the staff of WSU’s Intercollegiate College of Nursing. The mobile’s annual budget last year was $275,000, with private donations and the support of WSU, Ronald McDonald House Charities, volunteers and the Inland Northwest Health Services.
Riebe has emphasized recruiting more volunteers like WSU nursing student Anne Hamilton.
With a $92 stethoscope around her neck, Hamilton chatted with patients, took their histories and listened to their stories.
“I wanted to be in a field where I could work with people,” Hamilton said while eating lunch – peanut butter and jelly on whole grain.
After graduating from Central Washington University, Hamilton decided to attend nursing school in Spokane. While signing up for her second semester’s classes in the fall, Hamilton was told about the need for volunteers.
“I’ve been wanting to do volunteer work for some time,” Hamilton said. “I feel like I’m pretty privileged. I got to go to a university, twice.”
Most of the patients are children, and Hamilton said she’s still honing her preteen conversation skills.
“Some are chatty and some aren’t,” she said. “I don’t necessarily know what to talk to them about.”
In the narrow clinic on wheels, conversations flowed easy with Love under Hamilton’s care. The 9-year-old confessed during her eye exam that she doesn’t like to wear her glasses.
During a quiet moment after Love left, Riebe and nurse practitioner Sandy Forsman talked to Hamilton about the crucial skill of interviewing a patient. It’s not uncommon for a patient to forget to write about an ankle sprain from last summer, or parents will recall a bump on the head the child may have forgotten.
“We’re always screening for asthma,” Riebe said.
While talking to patients they can discuss other health issues like diet, exercise and weight.
By day’s end, Hamilton was talking about her future, which may include working for the Peace Corps in Ethiopia after she gets her nursing degree.
What she knows for sure is that after one day of volunteering, she still has much to learn.
To set up an appointment with the Care Mobile, call 324-7291.