THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE MOBILE EYE INSTITUTE
We are relaunching the Mobile Eye Institute! Give now to purchase 2 mobile health units, equipment, and health care services for individuals in need. Want to provide an eye exam and a pair of spectacles to a patient in need?
Find out what $90 can do!
In 2006, the Mobile Eye Institute was given to the University of Houston College of Optometry from the City of Houston through a gift made possible by The People of Saudi Arabia via ARAMCO. UHCO works closely with the City of Houston through their Health and Human Services Department to provide care to citizens in need of access to care and intended to expand eye and vision care to citizens in need. In 2007, a gift from the Baylor Methodist Health Fund administered through the Greater Houston Community Foundation, was awarded to UHCO as seed funding to furnish and outfit the Airstream Custom Medical Specialty Vehicle. With these financial resources, the requisite equipment, and instruments to engage in our community outreach mission were obtained. In addition to increasing emergency preparedness, the goal of the MEI has been to serve patients, children to senior citizens, who lack access to traditional health care due to barriers of transportation, finances and/or culture.
Many people in Houston and beyond have limited access to eye and healthcare services. Sometimes, recommended health care like eye health screenings are difficult to access because they don’t have a primary health care provider. Often, they live very far away from doctors or specialists who offer those services.
The Mobile Eye Institute is designed to deliver community-centered healthcare interventions while providing educational opportunities for doctors and increasing access to health care for underserved individuals.
The bus provides eye and health care to individuals in schools, community centers, homeless shelters, assisted living facilities, juvenile detention facilities, faith-based charity homes, and disaster relief.
Children needing eye and health care screenings: Vision plays an important role in a child's physical, cognitive, and social development. Uncorrected vision problems can interfere with learning and school performance and in some cases can lead to permanent vision loss.
The Mobile Eye Institute provides eye and health care services directly to children in our community who would otherwise not get vision care. While visiting schools, children have access to vision screening, an eye exam and referrals if they need further care. We also provide prescription glasses to those who need them.
Underserved populations needing care: The bus travels to different locations in the Houston metro region and beyond to provide eye and health care services to underserved populations: from mobile disaster relief services, community care centers, and through partnerships with organizations like Harris County Resources for Children and Adults.
We reach people where they are: We go to people where they are provide first-quality care for those who not have access to care in a traditional healthcare environment.
The Mobile Eye Institute has been serving our community non-stop for almost 15 years! The old bus has run its course. With your help, we will re-launch this important mobile eye and health clinic service to provide eye and health care for underserved individuals in Houston and beyond.
Your support is critical as we relaunch this service and will help us expand our capacity to serve our community by leveraging modern portable clinical equipment, a more flexible reconfiguration that will allow us to serve an even broader population, configurations and new communications tools to support modern telehealth functions.
Let's build this bus together to deliver compassionate and timely health and eye care resources for individuals in our community.
A complete eye exam and a pair of spectacles on average costs $90 per patient at the Mobile Eye Institute.
When you support the MEI, your contribution will help provide compassionate health care services for individuals in our community.
We welcome any amount that can help us provide care for individuals in need.
The Mobile Eye Institute requires medical supplies and equipment to operate and your donations are greatly appreciated.
1200 pairs of prescription glasses distributed annually.
Patients served by the MEI since 2007
Funds will be used to purchase 2 mobile health units, equipment, and to provide eye and health care services to individuals in need.
Give to the Mobile Eye Institute
(Select Mobile Eye Institute under gift accounts)
Contact Marianne Dwyer
Chief Development Officer for Medicine and Health
University Development, University of Houston
Phone: 713-743-4137
Email: mdwyer@central.uh.edu