Jones Foundation helps bring Quality Care to the Neighborhood
They say if you can't bring Mohammad to the mountain, then bring the mountain to Mohammad. In this case, “Mohammad” is children from some of D.C.'s neediest neighborhoods. And the mountain is quality medical care. Luckily, this mountain has wheels.
The Georgetown University Hospital 's KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic has served as a portable medical "home" for thousands of children and adolescents throughout the District of Columbia’s at-risk neighborhoods. 
The fully-equipped van sports two examination rooms, a consult and reception area, and a staff of Georgetown pediatricians, nurses, Fellows, physicians-in-training and administrative personnel.
About the Mobile KIDS Clinic
Comprehensive pediatric services are delivered to children from birth to 21 years of age-at no cost to their caregivers and whether or not they have medical insurance. Each week, the 40-foot rolling clinic-the first of its kind in D.C.-travels to six "health professional shortage areas" in the most disenfranchised neighborhoods, including seven public housing communities (home to some 2,000 children), an Emergency Family Shelter (more than 100 children monthly), and two public high schools. From immunizations to ophthalmology exams to mental health check-ups, the services run the gamut. The Jones Foundation helps fund the operation.
How the Jones Foundation Helps
Since 1992, the mobile clinic has been on a roll. “Our mission has always been to provide top quality care that is community-based, culturally appropriate, family-centered and comprehensive,” explains Matthew Levy, MD, MPH, medical director of community pediatrics at Georgetown .
“We want to develop relationships with families and address not only health issues, such as asthma, obesity and developmental problems, but also social issues, such as risky behaviors and unsafe home environments, that can have lifelong consequences,” he adds.
In addition to helping with operating costs, the Jones Foundation created two, two-year fellowships: the Jones Community Pediatrics and Child Advocacy Fellowship, created in 1995, and the Community Education Fellowship, established in 2004. Many of the Fellows work closely with the mobile van and the work it does. As one of its first Fellow recipients, Dr. Levy understands firsthand what the opportunity means to not only the doctors, but also to the children who have benefitted from their care.
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