Georgetown Hospital's Kids Mobile Clinic Rolls With Verizon Wireless Broadband Connectivity

14 May 2006

Georgetown Hospital's Kids Mobile Medical Clinic, which delivers pediatric care to the District's most underserved populations, has received a booster shot from Verizon Wireless. The vehicle has been outfitted with state-of-the-art BroadbandAccess wireless service enabling high-speed Internet connectivity to upload and download electronic medical records and access other online information to enhance patient care.

The 40-foot mobile pediatric clinic -- the first of its kind in DC -- is nearly as large as a city bus. Equipped with two examination rooms, a mobile laboratory and a patient waiting area, it makes weekly stops at seven public housing communities, two public high schools, and at the DC Village emergency family shelter. Well-patient checkups, immunizations, ophthalmology exams, sick visits, chronic illness management, and referrals to specialists are all provided free of charge; an on-call pediatrician is available 24/7. The clinic also provides wide-ranging adolescent services and coordinated care for mental health and social services.

The wireless Internet capability provided by Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess allows the vehicle's healthcare professionals to access and maintain secure, up-to-date, electronic medical records.

Previously, all medical records were maintained at Georgetown University Hospital which presented significant challenges to delivering quality, continuous care to patients seen in mobile healthcare settings. BroadBandAccess provides fast, remote access to a patient's entire medical record and the ability to update records in real-time. Doctors can also access other online resources, like the DC Immunization Registry, to see if a child has received the required immunizations needed to enter or stay in school or day care centers.

"Children in Washington continue to rank among the country's most medically vulnerable," said Dr. Matthew Levy of the Kids Mobile Medical Clinic. "Because these children move often or leave threatening situations in a hurry, there's no time to gather childhood immunization records and other vital pieces of medical history. Having onboard wireless technology allows us to obtain the documents we need to provide the best care possible."

Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess service, available to more than 150 million Americans coast to coast, delivers connection speeds of 400 to 700 kilobits per second. The service allows users to connect to the Internet using a PC card that slides directly into most laptop computers and enables a download in about 20 seconds of a 1 Megabyte email attachment, the equivalent of a small PowerPoint presentation or a large PDF file. No wires or separate Internet service provider are required. Verizon Wireless was the first national wireless provider to commercially launch high-speed wireless broadband services in the United States.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 53 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE: VOD; London). Find more information on the Web at http://www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About the KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic

Since 1992, the Georgetown University Children's Medical Center has provided comprehensive pediatric services on a mobile pediatric unit for children from birth to 21 years of age in the District of Columbia. The clinic has been able to provide more than 29,000 patient visits to children with poor access to health care with help from generous foundations, corporations and individuals, and the support of Georgetown University and Georgetown University Hospital/MedStar Health.

Source: prnewswire