Skip to main content

Mobile Eye Center: Making an Impact in the Community



Mobile Eye Center: Making an Impact in the Community


In the fall of 2004, the College of Optometry made a huge investment in the under-served communities of the St. Louis area by bringing eye care services to them. Thanks in part to a generous Housing and Urban Development grant, the UMSL Mobile Eye Center(MEC) launched what has now been a 12-year mission of bringing vision examinations to the doorsteps of schools and senior centers across the metro area.



The bulk of the schedule of the Mobile Eye Center occurs during the school year.  For the 2015-2016 term, our MEC stayed incredibly busy! Working in partnership with Kids’ Vision For Life, the MEC was out 4-5 days a week from August-May, performing eye examinations at public and charter schools in the metropolitan area. The MEC takes College of Optometry students out two days each week to perform examinations under the direction of Linda Marks, OD. Last year, Dr. Marks and Lesa Klein, OD, did an amazing job, performing more than 450 comprehensive, dilated eye examinations on children of all ages.



Our MEC visits students in every demographic, from Head Starts and Early Childhood programs, all the way into the area high schools, which are often the most underserved of all.  The opportunities that come from the services we bring allow us to change lives, one pair of glasses at a time.



 "It’s amazing to see the difference a new pair of glasses makes to a student’s demeanor; the way their face lights up when they realize the world around them has been just a little blurry and things instantly become more clear when they put on their new glasses.  I love that UMSL's MEC provides a front door service to our families, allowing them access to services they may have never known their student needed, from screening to glasses.  UMSL makes the process so easy and seamless.  They have been a great asset to our school community" commented, Nicole Stockmann, RN, Riverview Gardens School District.



The most common phrase we hear when we ask the school nurses about our services is how grateful they are and how significant the lack of transportation is, when it comes to the vision care of their students. Being able to bring a completely functioning optometric clinic to their parking lot gives the students an invaluable opportunity. Students that have never had an exam, who never realized what they couldn’t see, now have an entirely new world opened up to them. Children who thought they couldn’t read find out they have treatable vision issues, and learn that there is a facility virtually in their backyard where they can receive vision therapy and any further testing that is necessary.



“UMSL’s MEC and Staff are tremendous! Our students are forever grateful for the benefit of this outreach.  Due to lack of transportation our students would not have received the services they needed if it was not for the MEC. We truly appreciate your services,” commented, Aigner Channel, RN, Mercy Clinic at Roosevelt High School



Having the ability to bring a complete vision clinic to their schools ensures that the children of St. Louis schools are receiving the very best in eye care, to prepare them for an amazing future and a bright, clear world.



Just this year alone, to put into a few sentences what UMSL vision services has done for the Grace Hill Head Start program is nearly impossible…from dancing with our kids to being unbelievably patient with them.  The best however is seeing a child who received glassed through your services for the first time. They look to their mom and for the first time with a big smile point to the sky and say ‘clouds’.  By your gracious gifts you made that happen. Thank you guys,” commented Jeanne Hilgert, RN, Grace Hill Settlement Schools.



If you would like more information on the UMSL College of Optometry’s Mobile Eye Center, please call us at (314) 516-6064, or e-mail Cassidy Cooley at cooleyca@umsl.edu. If you would like information on how you can donate to keep this amazing program functioning, please contact Angel Forsha, Assistant Director of Business Administration, at (314) 516-5131, or e-mail forshaa@umsl.edu.


Comments

  1. hanks for such a brief post about eye care and if you want to know much more information about eye care please visit our site. click>
    Eagle Eyes Optics Coupon Codes
    Cool Frames Coupon Codes
    Perfect Lens Coupon Codes

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Heart of America: A Great Annual UMSL Tradition

The 56th Annual Contact Lens & Primary Care Congress presented by the Heart of America Contact Lens Society was, once again, a great success and represented a great opportunity for College of Optometry students and residents to network, present posters, receive high quality continuing education, and help as monitors and graduates to have the opportunity to see their classmates and enjoy, not only the expansive exhibit hall but also customize their education based upon the five tracks of courses given simultaneously.  The faculty included two UMSL graduates, Drs. Rebecca Wartman(‘87) and Shane Kannarr(‘00) and Assistant Dean, Dr. Ed Bennett.  Likewise, the Heart of America Board of Directors had a significant UMSL presence with Drs. Sean Mulqueeny(‘91), Wes DeRosier(‘96) and President Craig Brawley(‘01).  Dr. Delaram “Deli” Shirazian(’16), currently completing the Kansas City Veteran’s Administration Medical Center residency program, was a recipient of a $2,0...

Patient Care Center Grand Opening and Continuing Education Event a Success

The Patient Care Center has been open to the public since mid-September and recently celebrated the Grand Opening ceremony on Friday, November 4 and also a continuing education program on November 5, 2016. The Grand Opening ceremony included keynote speakers, Dean Larry Davis, Laurie Thompson (’16), Barbara Brown (’88), and Chancellor Thomas George.     The event attracted many present and former UMSL administrators, including former Chancellor Blanche Touhill. Several political leaders attended to celebrate the grand opening. Dr. Thompson and her husband, Chris, traveled from their home in Colorado, specifically for this occasion. Thompson was an instrumental student leader whose efforts were important in gaining student approval to fund the project.   Following the grand opening event on Saturday, the college hosted a five-hour specialty contact lens symposium with lectures on gas permeable and presbyopic lenses from UMSL faculty members, Ed Bennett, ...

UMSL National Optometric Student Association wins Chapter of the Year

UMSL National Optometric Student Association wins Chapter of the Year UMSL NOSA President Alexandra Mejas(’19) (right) receiving the Chapter of the Year Award Alexandra Mejas (’19), and Lulette Fermil (’19) The UMSL National Student Optometric Association (NOSA) has always been one of the more active service-oriented chapters in the country.  Recently, at the annual National Optometric Association(NOA), held July 5 – 10, 2016  in Chicago, they were recognized for their efforts by being honored as the recipient of the NOSA Chapter of the Year.  Several UMSL Optometry NOSA Members who attended the conference included chapter President Alexandra Mehas (’19), Kajene Murugathasan (’18), Jasmine Hayes (’18), Kanesha McBee (’17), and Lulette Fermil (’19).  In addition, UMSL faculty members, Dr. Christine Gavett and Dr. Angel Simmons were in attendance at the event.   According to Kajene Murugathasan (’18), UMSL was a popu...