UT-Houston Mobile Health Clinic
Telehealth for the Colonias
Delivery of health care services, health care professional
Education, and wellness programs in
The Colonias
Medical Director:
Dr. Margaret McNeese, Associate Dean for the UT Houston Medical School
Associate Medical Director
Dr. Latanya Love, UT Houston Medical School Pediatrician and Internist
The UTHSCH Medical Mobile Clinic is nationally known for health care services and education provided along the border to residents in the colonias. The UTHSCH Mobile Health Clinic was initiated nineteen years ago to assist with desperately needed primary health care services, disease prevention, health promotion and education in the Texas-Mexico border "colonias."
Texas residents living in the “colonias” experience many impediments to their accessing health care including: shortage of health care providers, long distances to existing health care facilities, lack of means of transportation, lack of health insurance, loss of working time and salary for trips to obtain health care.
This project has worn out two mobile health clinics providing services to over 50,000 Hidalgo and Cameron border residents and now is providing services from a new updated mobile health clinic. The new Mobile Health Clinic is presently serving the large, rural indigent population in Cameron County. Travelling to “colonia” schools, the mobile clinic staff- the Physician Assistant, Paul Toscano, and the Medical Assistants, Tina Arce and Flor Valdez, provides free primary health care to the “colonia” residents. The Medical Mobile Clinic staff also provides glucose and cholesterol screenings. A major project goal is to prevent diabetes by identifying and educating at-risk clients. Several glucose screenings have led to pre-diabetic diagnoses in patients. These patients are provided with health education and referred for diabetes treatment at diabetic clinics. The mobile health clinic services assist in keeping patients out of critical situations such as the hospital's emergency room! The Physician Assistant has introduced many older women to the concept of preventive care through Pap Smear screenings and self breast examinations. Other services include detection of urinary tract infections, upper respiratory infections, high blood pressure screenings, and pregnancy testing among others.
A major goal for the mobile health clinic has been to provide clinical rotations for health care professional students in this medically underserved area of the state. Fourth year medical students from UTHSCH have one month clinical rotations on the mobile clinic. In addition, past clinical student rotations have included third year medical students from UTHSC-San Antonio, UT-Pan American nursing students, a medical assistant student from South Texas Vocational Technical Institute, and nursing faculty from Lee College in Baytown, Texas have had clinical rotations on the medical mobile clinic to enhance their multicultural health professional skills and communication.