DENTAL AND MEDICAL VANS COME TO GRAND COUNTY

Since 2007, the Grand County Rural Health Network has coordinated mobile vans to provide healthcare for the county’s uninsured children.  In collaboration with the Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics, the Rural Health Network schedules mobile medical and dental van visits from May through October – months when the RV-sized van can easily make it over the pass.  You may have seen the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile van parked in many locations around the county.  The vans visit each major residential area at least once, if not more, during the summer.  The Network tries to co-locate the vans with events that parents bring their children to anyway, making healthcare services more accessible to the low-income population these vans target.  For example, the mobile medical and dental vans have each already visited our county for two days this year. The first day the vans were located at the West Grand K-8 School in conjunction with kindergarten round-up.  The next stop for the vans was at the East Grand Middle School for the Grand Beginnings’ Children’s Fair. These mobile vans focus on prevention.  The medical van offers well-child checks, pre-school and sports physicals, immunizations, and education.  The dental van offers dental cleanings, X-rays, fluoride treatments, sealants and education.  Children must be uninsured, under the age of 18 and qualify financially.

Each visit to the van costs $10, paid directly to Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics. But why do these vans only offer preventive services?  According to the World Health Organization, many chronic health conditions are linked by common preventable risk factors.  For example,  unhealthy nutrition, physical inactivity and tobacco use are all preventable risk factors for heart disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases.  Preventive healthcare, especially for children, sets the stage for healthy behaviors throughout the rest of their life and discourages damaging behaviors.  In short, prevention can save untold amounts of money throughout the child’s lifetime. The mobile dental van will next be in Granby on June 25 at the East Grand M.S. and Fraser on June 26 at the Fraser Elementary School. Future dates for both vans are:  July 9 at West Grand H.S,  July 10 at East Grand Middle School, August 20 at West Grand High School, August 21 at Grand Lake Town Hall, September 10 at West Grand High School, and September at East Grand Middle School. To determine if you qualify, or to make an appointment, please contact Grand County Public Health at 725-3288