Coughing and wheezing in near unison, the Michiaels clan — dad Mel and kids Miranda, 5, and Christine, 4 — clamber up the stairs of the CareVan to a warm reception.
Physician assistant Amy Kinsey smiles and pats the girls on the head. The kids beam.
Then Kinsey goes to work. She props the girls up on the examination table of the mobile clinic, self-contained in a 34-foot recreational vehicle. Mel waits his turn.
A few minutes later, the diagnoses are rendered: right-ear infection for Miranda, tonsillitis for Christine, bronchitis for Mel.
Medications are dispensed and instructions issued.
One family done, about a dozen more to go for the CareVan’s biweekly stop at the Growing Home homeless shelter in Westminster.
Without the services of the Medicine in Motion program supported by Avista Hospital Foundation, families such as the Michiaelses would have few options for urgent and preventive health care.
Avista Hospital Foundation is one of the agencies that has applied for Season to Share funding.
“The safety-net functions of society are crucial to establish,” said Dr. David Ehrenberger, chief medical officer for Avista Adventist Hospital and a CareVan physician.
“We’re a portion of the safety net that addresses a uniquely vulnerable segment of society — the homeless and the unemployed,” Ehrenberger said. “Unfortunately, it’s hard for us to keep up with the demand for our services.”
The CareVan treats nearly 3,000 patients a year.
Ehrenberger said that with charitable support from Season to Share, the Medicine in Motion program is considering adding a once-a-month Saturday morning rotation for the CareVan.
Services rendered range from treatment of acute illnesses to preventive care for diabetes and hypertension to referrals for lab tests or hospital medical procedures.
“The patients are very grateful to have this kind of care,” said Kinsey, the physician assistant. “The opportunity is here for ongoing treatment, so we’re able to offer a degree of continuity.”
Avista Hospital Foundation also provides financial assistance for needy patients and employees, as well as patients of Clinica Campesina, a local health care provider for low-income families and the uninsured.
Other projects of the foundation include fundraising for nurses’ continuing education and community outreach wellness programs.
Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com
Avista Hospital Foundation
Address: 7995 E. Prentice Ave., Suite 204, Greenwood Village, CO 80111
In operation since: 1984
Number served last year: 25,000
Staff: 2
Yearly budget: $625,000
Percentage of funds going directly to clients/ services: 100
