As of this week, Woodland Hills School District parents who are seeking options for their children's health care may not have to go farther than a school parking lot.

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and the Ronald McDonald House will bring the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile facility to Dickson Elementary School, in Swissvale, once a week to provide free services to young people in the area.

The facility offers primary care services and immunizations on one side of the unit, and focuses on asthma treatment and education on the other.

Pediatric pulmonologist Shean Aujla said the hospital's Pediatric Environmental Medicine Center wanted to work out of the Mobile Care facility to increase access to Mon Valley communities where children live with high rates of asthma.

"The goal is to provide improved asthma care and to break down barriers to the community as far as access to care," she said.

Dr. Aujla said Health Department statistics show that children in areas such as Swissvale and Braddock have higher rates of emergency room visits for asthma incidents than other areas, and she encouraged the hospital to reach out to the Woodland Hills School District.

District communications director Maria McCool said the partnership will help students all around.

"There have been studies done that show some of our neighborhoods have high percentages of asthma cases," Ms. McCool said, "So anything we can do to prevent or treat that early is going to help our students not only physically, but help them be in school more often to help them academically."

The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile facility will set up shop in the Dickson parking lotfrom 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays throughout this school year.

The program will continue in the district for several years, with plans to expand beyond Dickson. Discussions to bring the program to Fairless Elementary in Braddock next year are under way.

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