skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, November 1, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump attacks Liz Cheney using violent war imagery; Election insights: What 50 Ohioans want to hear from candidates; Consumer groups slam CA Supreme Court ruling on lemon law; On National Brush Day, new resources in KY to boost oral health.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Harris says her campaign is prepared for Trump to prematurely claim victory, Pennsylvania election officials say safeguards in the system are preventing vote fraud, and Montana Senate race could hinge on the "political refugee" vote.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A Cambodian poultry farmer who lost his livelihood could be a hero for others, rural Montanans are anxiously awaiting a court ruling over a climate lawsuit brought by young people, and Northeast states say more housing for working families could boost jobs.

Mobile Clinics to Provide Medical, Emotional Care for Underserved AZ Students

play audio
Play

Thursday, June 10, 2021   

PHOENIX, Ariz. - Studies estimate about 60% of Arizona children do not have regular access to primary health care, but a new grant program is looking to change that.

The Valle del Sol Community Health group is planning a fleet of mobile medical teams to visit underserved communities across central Arizona to provide care to adolescent and teenage children.

The project is funded through a $3 million grant from the United Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of UnitedHealth Group.

Wyatt Decker, CEO of UnitedHealth Group's OptumHealth, said the project is designed to meet both the physical and emotional needs of kids.

"We will have primary-care providers," said Decker, "behavioral-health workers and mental-health counselors that are in a mobile unit that is set up for kids to come in, in a school, and get evaluated."

With the grant, Valle del Sol will assemble medical teams to deliver primary, psychiatric and behavioral health services in school and foster-care settings or via telehealth.

The program launches in July, and is expected to serve 11,000 kids over three years.

Valle del Sol will coordinate with school systems and foster group homes to identify children who may need medical or emotional support. Decker said the grant will be used to purchase three mobile medical units and fund the care teams.

"The hope is that we'll be able to address a lot of these gaps in care," said Decker, "and make sure kids are succeeding and getting every opportunity to do well in school and move forward."

He said studies show that the pandemic has heightened students' need for emotional support.

"And where we really worry is what about individuals or communities that don't have access to behavioral health services," said Decker. "And so that's a big focus, is how do we create access to mental-health services in the school systems."

Valle del Sol officials say the medical mobile units will provide many of the same health care and behavioral services they have delivered at their network of community-based clinics across the metro Phoenix area since 1970.

Disclosure: United Healthcare contributes to our fund for reporting on Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Signal Ohio found overarching issues such as climate change, reproductive rights and safety were on the minds of many Ohioans. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As Election Day approaches, the online outlet Signal Ohio interviewed 50 people across Cleveland and Akron to find out what is on the minds of …


Environment

play sound

Wild Chinook salmon have returned to the Upper Klamath River less than two months after the largest dam-removal project in U.S. history to remove …

Social Issues

play sound

Millions of Californians buy used cars still under a manufacturer's warranty - but consumer groups say those warranties are now essentially unenforcea…


Even with the rise of social media and email blasts, traditional "Get Out the Vote" rallies are seen by experts as key to helping boost participation in elections. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Political rallies and large-scale "get out the vote" events might conjure images of a packed arena in a major city but in states like North Dakota…

Environment

play sound

As North Carolina communities continue to pick up the pieces after Hurricane Helene, they have faced a new obstacle: A surge of misinformation is …

As of Oct. 31, Minnesota election offices had accepted nearly 1 million absentee ballots. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

In the final sprint toward Election Day, some Minnesotans might worry their absentee ballot won't arrive in time. Experts say there's no cause for …

Social Issues

play sound

New York's affordable housing crisis is being made worse by corporate landlords, according to groups trying to reform the system. The state …

Social Issues

play sound

By Mariah Alanskas for Kent State NewsLab.Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021