Established Evidence Results

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): School-Based Mobile Clinic, Mobile Programs,

Intervention Description: This mixed methods study examined a mobile meal program implemented in a community with large economic disparities. Parents and caregivers who attended the mobile meal program with a child at one of three sites completed surveys that screened for risk of food insecurity and examined access and utilization of community food resources. Interviews with a representative subsample of English- and Spanish-speaking participants elicited an in-depth understanding of food insecurity in the community and perspectives on the mobile meal program.

Intervention Results: Surveys (n = 284) were completed in English (78%) and Spanish (22%). Participants identified primarily as Asian (32%), Latino/Hispanic (29%), and White (27%), with 26% screening positive for risk of food insecurity within the past 12 months. Qualitative interviews (n = 36) revealed widespread support for meals served in public settings as they were perceived to be welcoming, fostered social interactions, and helped the community at large. Participants described the high cost of living as a key motivation for participating and cited immigration fears as a barrier to accessing public resources.

Conclusion: Findings from this study suggest the importance of innovative community-based approaches to serving hard-to-reach children during the summer.

Study Design: Mixed methods design

Setting: Community-based

Population of Focus: Parents and caregivers

Sample Size: 284

Age Range: n/a

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): CLASSROOM_SCHOOL, School-Based Mobile Clinic

Intervention Description: . The objectives of this pilot project were (a) to perform physicals for children not attached to a primary care physician; (b) to provide medical consultations and treatment for acute illnesses of students and staff, and (c) to lower absenteeism rates among students and staff.

Intervention Results: Our first goal was to perform physicals for children not attached to a primary care physician. During the 2018–2019 school year, 28 patients presented for a well-child check. However, 16 of these (57%) did not have a primary care physician. Of note, 19% of students presenting for any complaint did not have a primary care physician on file (172 students). All well-child checks were performed in-person on the Care Mobile. Our second goal was to provide medical consultations and treatment for acute illnesses. A total of 1446 persons were seen for sick visits. Of these, 424 were telemedicine visits (352 students and 72 staff), while 1022 were in-person visits. The five most common diagnoses that the nurse practitioner managed during the 2018–2019 school year included acute pharyngitis, acute upper respiratory infection, streptococcal pharyngitis, fever and acute maxillary sinusitis. Finally, our third goal was to lower absenteeism rates. There were 1446 sick person visits (1253 students and 193 staff). Twenty-two per cent of the students (276 persons) returned to class while 74% (142 persons) of staff returned to work.

Conclusion: The mobile/telemedicine health clinic is a novel innovation to increase access to acute care and reduce school absenteeism among both students and staff, potentially saving schools hundreds to thousands of dollars.