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Breathe Easy - Mobile C.A.R.E.'s HistoryAsthma, a serious chronic illness, results in lost school days, compromised physical abilities, emergency room visits, hospitalization, and even death when left undiagnosed or mismanaged. In Chicago neighborhoods, where asthma prevalence often exceeds the national average by 25%, four Chicagoland physicians—Dr. Philip Sheridan, Sr., Dr. Philip Sheridan, Jr., Dr. Paul Detjen, and Dr. Eric H. Gluck—were inspired to form Mobile C.A.R.E. Foundation in 1998 after learning of the tragic reports of asthma-related deaths on Chicago’s south and west sides. An innovative mechanism for diagnosing, treating, and educating underserved students, the newly formed Mobile C.A.R.E. Foundation converted a Winnebago into a fully functional doctor's office on wheels by November 1999. Once operational, the first mobile medical team worked with patients within the Comprehensive Asthma Management Program, CAMP, the mainstay of Mobile C.A.R.E. Foundation. During the first few months, operating on a part-time basis, CAMP partnered with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to enroll and treat several dozen students at two elementary schools on Chicago’s west side. Chicago’s west and south sides—hotbeds of alarming rates of asthma incidence and asthma-related morbidity and mortality among Hispanic and African-American children—were Mobile C.A.R.E.’s initial focus. Ten years and thousands of patients later, school partnerships and patient enrollment have grown to include high-risk north side neighborhoods. With aspirations to continue to increase its reach into more Chicagoland communities and collar counties, Mobile C.A.R.E. operates its, currently three, Asthma Vans in partnership with CPS, Chicago Archdiocesan schools, and Head Start programs throughout the city. To learn more about Mobile C.A.R.E. or how you can help ensure its continued success, please contact the MCF office at (773) 254-4030.
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