University of Houston "Eye Van" Rolls Onto HISD Campuses
The University of Houston "Eye Van" will visit HISD campuses all school year in an effort to make sure children receive the eye care they need to succeed in the classroom.
The "Share the Vision: Mobile Eye Institute" will begin its work at John Paul Cornelius Elementary School (7475 Westover, 77087) on Friday, September 14, from 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Mayor Bill White and University of Houston Interim President John M. Rudley will attend the kick-off. Tours of the bus will be given both before and after the event, which will take place in the Cornelius cafeteria.
The Mobile Eye Institute (MEI) is a medical-specialty bus equipped with the latest in ophthalmological technology, and will provide basic and comprehensive eye care to students and other Houstonians in need. The initiative is a partnership of the University of Houston's College of Optometry (UHCO) and the city of Houston. The bus will target HISD schools in underserved neighborhoods.
The community outreach effort began when UHCO rushed to provide basic services, such as eye exams, prescriptions and medication, to more than 2,800 patients at the Astrodome/Reliant Center and the George R. Brown Convention Center during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The university's Eye Institute and UHCO continued follow-up coverage with evacuees, leading to a partnership with the City of Houston in 2006 to provide vision care to underserved Houstonians on a regular basis and to disaster victims during a crisis.
"This mobile eye van will assist us in the removal of another barrier that students and families face in accessing needed medical care," said Evelyn Henry, HISD's director of health and medical services. "Sometimes families are unable to afford transportation costs or food costs while away from home and school, or are unable to make arrangements for non-school age siblings while seeking medical care."
When a student fails a school screening, HISD school nurses contact the student's parents to make a referral to an eye doctor. If parents are unable to afford an examination and/or glasses, and do not have Medicaid or CHIP, then the Eye Care for Kids Foundation provides the examination and glasses at no charge to the family. The Eye Van will reach out to those students who have not been able to make it to an eye doctor.
For more information, call HISD Health and Medical Services at 713-349-7423.
