Clinic finds new home

NORWALK — Those working for a family-first clinic noted their second home now ensures they can help even more children, especially patients who are considered underinsured and uninsured. Peds on Wheels recently unveiled its new office: 3 Stover Lane, Suite 5, in Norwalk. It's located near Chipotle in front of the movie theater. While maintaining their original location in downtown Sandusky, staff members stressed how they wanted better access for both themselves and their patients in areas in and around Norwalk like Monroeville, Wakeman and Willard. Peds on Wheels already serves hundreds if not thousands of patients, being children, and this should help medical professionals treat many more kids. "We just want to expand what we are currently offering," said Lauren Binks, one of the organization's family nurse practitioners. "If people are out of range to get to us in Sandusky, this will be a better option. One of the primary goals for Peds on Wheels is increasing access to care for patients in our community." Among the many services Peds on Wheels offers in either spot: well child exams, sports physicals for school, sick visits, immunizations, lab draws, pulmonary functions testing and point-of-care testing. People must first make appointments by contacting Peds on Wheels. At the Norwalk office, staff — consisting of nurse practitioners Cassi Wineland, Mandy Johnson, Lauren Binks and Jessica Vischi — can either accommodate guests visiting the office or make house calls within these counties. For Huron County appointments, people can call 419-603-3941. To make children feel welcome and comfortable, staff at Peds on Wheels decorated one of its Norwalk rooms with Cleveland Browns gear. For instance, there are logos of Brownie the Elf and orange-painted lockers. A similar theme, but with Cleveland Guardians gear, is highly visible in the Sandusky office. Because of this, the Browns provided tickets to Peds on Wheels patients to check out a preseason game earlier this season. Making people feel safe, during what could be a difficult time for someone, circles back to Peds on Wheels' mission, said Binks, underscoring how her organization will never turn anyone away due to a lack of funds. "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."