On the Road Again

Climbing into the back of the 40 x 8 foot vehicle, I lock the steel door behind me and buckle up. We drive alongside busloads of students on their way to school and people rushing to work. However, our morning commute is a bit different than most folks on the road because we actually bring our office with us. My makeshift passenger seat will quickly transform into the medical reception area, between two patient exam rooms, a medical records area, and a laboratory. This mobile clinic, better known as the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, delivers pediatric primary care including vaccines, well-child check ups, sports physicals, and health education to students in Chicago's south side communities. In partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, the Advocate Children's Hospital clinical team offers these free healthcare services to uninsured and Medicaid Managed Care patients who otherwise do not have access.

As a health educator, my job is to provide one-on-one health education counseling sessions to students. I try to increase health literacy around their chronic diseases, promote nutritious diets, teach asthma self-management, and assist with mental health screenings and referrals. I think it is crucial that pediatric patients have a clear comprehension of their health by relaying medical jargon in a way they understand. This way they can make more informed decisions for their health. In working with high schoolers, I teach about safe sex, emergency contraceptives, birth control, and try to debunk any misconceptions they may have learned from their friends or the internet. I love having these open conversations as a way to empower teens to make safe and smart decisions.

However, through my service term I've also learned the limitations of health education and have found that alone, it is simply not enough to change behavior and health outcomes. If you don't believe me, try telling a teenager whose regular diet consists mainly of hot chips that those crunchy little snacks are actually just gray goop covered in Red 40 dye. Then, imagine the disappointment of witnessing them walking out of school, elbow deep in a bag of Flamin' Hots. Besides the excessive availability of junk food that makes it so hard to be healthy, most of the patients I see have so many other issues that they need to deal with before their diet can be considered. How can you tell a child to eat more fruits and vegetables when they don't know if they're going to have any food when they get home? I work hard to connect families to social services, as well as teach parents that healthy home-cooked meals are more cost effective than fast food options - but there is still so much more that needs to be done to make it easier to be healthy. I get overwhelmed every day to think of the many social determinants and barriers to health that people face, but I also am encouraged by the motivated public health leaders and caring providers I get to work with. Mobile health is a vital delivery model of health care that has reduced the barrier to access. I feel so grateful to take part in this service and to be able to work with kids and teens everyday.

This blog post was written by NHC Chicago 2016-17 member Kaitie McQuade.

Kaitie is a Community Health Educator at Advocate Children's Hospital, Community and Health Relations Department.