When the 40-foot clinic-on-wheels rolls into view, parents know their kids will be in good hands. Georgetown University Hospital's KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic is a welcome sight in the District's most underserved neighborhoods. Parts of the Greater DC area are federally designated as "health professional shortage areas." And it is here that Georgetown's mobile clinic delivers highquality pediatric health care that would otherwise be unavailable.
During their weekly visits to public housing complexes, schools and a homeless shelter, the mobile clinic's physician, nurse, resident and social worker provided checkups, immunizations, ophthalmology exams, sick visits and other routine services to more than 3,500 children and adolescents, at no cost to their families. Thanks to a ten-year, $2.15 million pledge from the Joseph E. and Marjorie B. Jones Foundation, Georgetown's Department of Pediatrics envisions this form of community-based care will continue for years to come.
"Our commitment to the KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic reflects the lifelong vision of Joseph E. and Marjorie B. Jones and their dedication to supporting the children of Washington, DC," says Joyce Havard, the executive director of a foundation created by the Joneses. The Joseph E. and Marjorie B. Jones Foundation is proud of its role in bringing quality care to those in greatest need. "We are passionate about this project," adds Havard.
Dr. Matthew Levy, Medical Director of Community Pediatrics, cares for one of DC’s most precious treasures during a recent community visit by the Georgetown KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic.
The sum and duration of the new ten-year commitment entailed a major departure from the foundation's traditional giving practices, but the foundation's trustees recognized the opportunity to make a strategic long-term investment. Harris W. Havard, President and Chairman of the Board of the Joseph E. and Marjorie B. Jones Foundation, casts the decision as the logical next step in a trusted relationship. "We wanted to build on the twelve-year partnership we'd already developed with the Hospital. With this new ten-year commitment, the hospital can leverage our resources to position itself for the future. At the same time, we're fulfilling our mission, providing a safety net for a program we care about and charting a course for other donors to follow."
Matthew Levy, MD, MPH, the Medical Director of Community Pediatrics, contends that the value of the pledge cannot be measured in dollars alone. "This gift works for us on so many levels. It gives us the security to plan ahead, the resources to educate the next generation of community health practitioners and a model of sustained giving that will undoubtedly inspire others who care about Washington's children."
The KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic reflects the hospital's belief that every child should have access to high-quality health care, regardless of family income. The family-run Jones Foundation shares this commitment to Washington's most medically vulnerable children. Over the past twelve years, the foundation has contributed $1.35 million to the KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic. "Their annual support has been absolutely critical to our success," explains Tim Mooney, Associate Administrator in the hospital's Pediatrics Department. "Our department depends on contributions to operate the KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic. The Jones Foundation has been our most devoted and consistent benefactor."
This pledge for ongoing support helps Georgetown compete nationally for the most talented pediatricians to work in the region's most challenging environments. The Jones Fellowship in Community Pediatrics and Child Advocacy, established in 1995, provides the salary for a physician to work in the mobile clinic for two years while simultaneously pursuing a master's degree in public health with a concentration in underserved populations.
The KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic travels to some of DC’s highest-risk neighborhoods, providing muchneeded pediatric care to hundreds of children. Pictured are the program’s clinical team from left to right: Jason Beverly, Michelle Cox, Joanne Odom, Waikia Williams, Scott Grissett, Matthew Levy, MD, and Lucinda Elder.
A second award, the Jones Foundation Community Education Fellowship, was created in 2004 to enable communityfocused staff members and nurses in the Department of Pediatrics to further their education while working on the mobile clinic's team. "We want the best and the brightest serving the children of Washington, DC," says Dr. Levy. "These fellowships create an attractive professional opportunity and are producing a cadre of specialists uniquely qualified to meet the needs of underserved populations."
"The Jones Foundation helped us get the KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic where it is today," explains Mooney. The foundation's enthusiastic commitment to fund both fellowships for an additional ten years is tiered so that the foundation's annual contribution will keep pace with cost of living increases and program expansion. At the end of this new commitment, the foundation will have dedicated a total of $3.45 million to the KIDS Mobile Medical Unit over two decades-the largest donation Georgetown has ever received from a family foundation.
Harris Havard, Mary Havard and Joyce Havard of the Jones Foundation with Dr. David B. Nelson, Chairman of the Georgetown Department of Pediatrics (second from the right). The ongoing Jones Foundation support for Georgetown’s KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic significantly increases the accessibility and quality of care for underserved children and families in the DC area.
For more information about Georgetown's KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic, or to make a donation, please call Susan Skinner, Vice President, Development, at 202.444.2239.
