Politics & Government

Medical Bus to Help Students in Meacham Prepare for School

A mobile health clinic will visit Kirkwood's Meacham Park neighborhood at the end of the month to ensure student medical records are up-to-date.

Twenty-five elementary school students in Kirkwood's Meacham Park neighborhood need medical services before starting . The Kirkwood Human Rights Commission has found a creative way to offer assistance.

On July 30 and 31, a 40-foot bus from BJC HealthCare will visit Meacham, so parents can take their kids for checkups, physicals and exams.

"What we want to do is to provide (students) what they need to register," said Darnel Frost, chairman of the Human Rights Commission. "We feel if we get the bus in there, kids get access to the things they need and maybe we can even provide some supplies while they get their eye checkups or what have you."

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Frost said when these students start Robinson Elementary School, they will "hit the ground running."

"We don't have to worry about, okay, you know this kid has been here X number of days and he still doesn't have X, Y and Z. This way, he'll have what he needs to hopefully be successful in school," Frost said.

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Robinson Elementary School nursing staff identified the 25 students who will be served by the bus. The cost of treatment is free for families.

The mobile medical unit is part of BJC HealthCare's Healthy Kids Express Screening Program. The bus provides services like hearing and vision screenings, lead and iron deficiency testing, immunizations, and height and weight checks, according to BJC HealthCare.

Human rights commissioner Greta Moorhead has connections to BJC HealthCare and was able to facilitate the bus coming to Meacham. 

"We're lucky to have Greta," Frost said. "It's about having connections and understanding where the need is."


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