Free physicals offered for students

SANDUSKY — Amanda Batch constantly repeated the same two-word phrase to a medical professional visiting her house on a recent weekday. "Thank you," Amanda said. "Thank you." Amanda extended her appreciation to Lauren Binks, who works as a family nurse practitioner for Peds on Wheels, a Sandusky-headquartered pediatric clinic serving the surrounding five-county areas. It offers many services for children, such as vaccinations, well-child exams, sick visits and sports physicals. What's unique about Peds on Wheels: its medical professionals make house calls, hence the "wheels" portion of its name. Employees can and will travel within its coverage area — including throughout Erie and Huron counties — to care for children. At the Batch's home on Sycamore Line in Sandusky, Binks oversaw physicals on Amanda's sons, Braelin, 12, and Josiah, 10, and daughter, Triniti, 5, who also got checked out for a possible ear infection. "It's very important and good what they do," Amanda said. "Especially how they come to the house. It's not easy to find doctors to stop what they're doing and get in." Regarding youth sports physicals, those representing Peds on Wheels collectively and recently decided to offer them for students/local children at no cost for the second consecutive year. "My colleagues and I at Peds on Wheels value the importance of athletics for our patients," Binks said. "Participating in sports or other extracurricular activities encourages the opportunity to learn the value of teamwork, accountability, physical fitness and providing a sense of belonging." So it's really free? "If the patient has insurance, it will be submitted," Binks said. "But in the event that it isn't covered, or if the patient does not have insurance, they will not receive a bill," Binks said. It's a godsend, Amanda said. "This is so important to my kids," Amanda said. "It means a lot of them and, without a physical, they won't be able to play." Count the leadership team at Sandusky Schools as another major player thankful for Peds on Wheels providing this important service. "Peds on Wheels is an incredible partner with our school district serving our students and families," district superintendent Dan Rambler said. "Sandusky is fortunate to have many phenomenal agencies and organizations who do so much in our community and for our students and families. This opportunity will remove barriers for students' health and support students' ability to compete in sports." Q&A Binks answered some additional questions on this initiative: Q: Why are free physicals offered by Peds on Wheels? LB: One of the primary goals for Peds on Wheels is increasing access to care for patients in our community. Every day we are out in the local neighborhoods, and we witness how inflation continues to impact the families that we care for in our communities. Our goal is to remove barriers to primary pediatric health care that were also exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that all children should have same-day access to a pediatric clinic. The sports physical history and exam can uncover common pediatric diseases, like exercise-induced asthma; acquired heart conditions, like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM); and scoliosis. For the past several years, we have collaborated with local athletic directors and coaches to provide sports physicals on-site at practice or after school in their gyms to decrease scheduling and transportation conflicts for parents. The physical events have been beneficial for coaches and athletic directors to ensure athletes have their sports physicals completed on time, maintaining compliance with the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). My colleagues and I all have children ourselves, and we have a deep appreciation and understanding of the difficulties that come with juggling schedules, appointments and practices. The model of home visits has also been beneficial for parents who have multiple children and allows sick patients to stay home instead of having to travel to an office. Home visits have also been helpful for parents of newborns, eliminating potential exposure to illnesses while sitting in a waiting room. Q: How much would physicals cost otherwise? LB: Out-of-pocket sports physicals range from $30 to $70. Q: How can Peds on Wheels afford to offer this service? LB: We are a nonprofit organization that provides home visits routinely and our office location provides walk-in visits without requiring an appointment. The sports physical events are an extension of the services we provide every day. Q: Who can benefit from Peds on Wheels? LB: Peds on Wheels provides pediatric primary care in the comfort of the patient's home. Our services are available to any child regardless of insurance or proof of income. The ability to travel to patients' homes has allowed us to reach patients who would otherwise go without routine health care whether it be related to financial or transportation restraints. Q: How many children receive physicals on a yearly basis? LB: In 2023, we reached out to all the local school districts and offered to come to their school or individual team practices. Many schools also handed out our information for home visits and walk-in physicals. Because of this outreach, we completed over 700 sports physicals last year. We are hoping 2024 will bring even more. Q: How can people sign up for physicals? Are there any guidelines or rules that would prevent people from signing up? LB: Any child that is in need of a sports physical is welcome at our practice. If an athletic director or coach is interested in setting up an event at their school, they can contact me at 419-603-3941 or Mandy Johnson at 419-217-7635. We have four nurse practitioners covering different geographic areas for home visits, and our coverage can be found on our Facebook page (facebook.com/pedsonwheels). We also have an office location in downtown Sandusky, at 167 E. Washington Row, where patients are welcome anytime Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Q: What else would you like for people to know about? LB: Peds on Wheels also provides women's health services in our office location. Peds on Wheels also offer speech and feeding therapy in the home. We work closely with children services and Road to Hope to provide care for women and children during difficult times of transition. There is no additional charge for home visits. If anyone would like to donate funds to support our free sports physical program, they can contact me or Mandy. We have a donation closet with children clothing and supplies for those in need located at our office location.