Caring for the kids

BERLIN HEIGHTS — Shirley Koch considers the nonprofit a blessing and the medical professionals who visit her home on a frequent basis, even in between for emergencies, as her angels. Quite simply, she views the entire agency as a godsend for her entire family. "I love not having to take (my children) out in the cold, and I'm definitely not taking them out with COVID going around, so it's nice that they can come here," Koch said. "They are so amazing." Koch referred to Peds on Wheels, a Sandusky-headquartered pediatric clinic, serving a five-county surrounding area. It's one of the region's only medical offices still making house calls. The Berlin Township resident's seven children, between 5 months and 18 years old, receive services from Peds (pronounced Pee-ds, short for pediatric), ranging from routine checkups to annual shots. "It's just so convenient," Koch said. Montoya Arrington wholeheartedly agrees. The Sandusky mother arranged for Peds staff to examine her children — 2-year-olds Myles, Major and Munroe — at their home on Friday. They each underwent standard tests, such as checks on their temperature and weight. "My children were premature. They're more susceptible to infections," Arrington said. "With Peds on Wheels able to come to my house, it's more flexible for my schedule, and it's better for their health. Plus they love Peds on Wheels. They are so happy when they see the staff. They're not like that with other nurses and doctors." Mandy Johnson, a certified nurse practitioner, who provided services on Peds' behalf to Arrington's children, appreciated those sentiments. "We can make a better connection with our patients, and it's so much more interpersonal than us just wearing a white lab jacket and coming into an office," Johnson said. "That can make people, and especially kids, scared." A primer for Peds on Wheels Lauren Kwasny, one of the nonprofit's nurse practitioners, who also makes in-person home visits, shared some additional information about Peds on Wheels: Q: What is Peds on Wheels? LK: Peds on Wheels is a pediatric clinic serving the surrounding five-county areas. Services offered include vaccines, well-child exams, sick visits, sports physicals and more. The veteran-run clinic is composed of a pediatrician, Dr. Robert Johnson, a colonel in the Ohio National Guard; two certified nurse practitioners, Mandy Johnson and myself; licenses practical nurses Ericka Hosang and Kelsee Waggoner; and our behind-the-scenes office operator Jamie Deninger. Q: What's the overall mission? LK: Our goal, as an organization, is to provide high-quality health care to children within the communities that we live in and serve. A large portion of our patient population is an underserved community that would traditionally be unreachable for routine health care because of a lack of transportation. We see children with every insurance and those without insurance. No child is ever turned away for the inability to pay. When your child is cared for by our staff, I can assure you that we are treating the child like one of our own. We take great pride in the patient-family relationships that we have formed throughout the communities and many of them consider us to be family. Having in-home visits has taken a lot of stress off of the parents and has made being sick a little easier on the little ones. For instance, it's easier for kids to tolerate getting their vaccines or feeling under the weather in their pajamas watching their favorite cartoons on the couch instead of waiting in a doctor's office. Q: What are the counties served? LK: Erie, Lorain, Huron, Ottawa and Sandusky. Q: Who can receive services? LK: Services are from birth until the age of 18. Q: How has the pandemic changed your operations? LK: The demand for our home-visit services has drastically increased throughout the pandemic. As a result, we hired an additional LPN to assist with some of the in-office operations. We have been wearing masks and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in the event there is a suspicion of COVID-19 in the homes that we enter. We purchased an ultraviolet light in the main treatment room to provide additional preventive measures. Dr. Johnson, Mandy and I sat down together at the beginning of the pandemic and collaboratively made a decision to continue the services we have always provided. We have ensured that our patients continue to be seen whether it is for a well-child exam or if they are ill. Q: Compared to recent years, how many children has the organization served in 2020? LK: We serve over 3,500 children throughout a five-county district. Our patient population has increased by 1,200 patients during the pandemic. We see approximately 250 to 300 patients a week. Q: What does your organization do differently than maybe other doctors/physicians/pediatricians can't do, in terms of services, when factoring in the ongoing pandemic? LK: Other health care facilities in the area are not capable of providing in-home services. Yet the demand for in-person services, like for a physical assessment, still remains. Many other facilities have only been offering televisits when the need calls for a physical exam, my colleagues and I are still able to provide these visits in-person. Many offices in the area had to put well-child exams on hold because of the pandemic. This has created a drastic need to catch children up on their vaccinations as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics. In addition, our services have kept many children out of the emergency room, lessening the potential of COVID-19 exposure and allowing the emergency rooms to be reserved for the purpose of emergency care. Q: Why, maybe now more than ever, is it important that people get the proper health care? LK: Although there is great concern with COVID-19, having in-person, well-child exams are vital for a child's growth and development. It allows the pediatrician or nurse practitioner the opportunity to identify issues or problems that may otherwise be overlooked. We care for many children with chronic medical issues, immunodeficiencies or genetic malformations. These individuals require routine medical attention for their ongoing treatment plan. We know that we are actively on the frontlines of COVID-19 by placing ourselves in patients' homes, but we also know that these children would not have any access to health care if we did not continue to see them. Each person that works at Peds on Wheels has an incredible love for the profession and the children in the community. We take pride in caring for children and giving families a sense of security during these uncertain times. Q: How can people pay for these services? What happens if they can't pay? LK: We accept all insurances, and no child is turned away for the inability to pay. If their insurance is out of network, or they have not met their deductible, the patient is only charged half of the amount of the bill. We accept every child, 0 to 18. We are a nonprofit organization, and we received one grant from the Erie County Community Foundation to help aid in the demand for personal protective equipment and the fuel required for home visits. Q: How can people sign up for or inquire about services? LK: The office hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at 167 E. Washington Row in downtown Sandusky. For more information, or to set up an appointment, call 419-217-7635.