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SOUTH LOS ANGELES () — If eyes are windows to the soul, they can also be a way for a doctor to see the overall health of a patient. Ketchum Health takes eye care directly into communities through mobile, and off-site clinics, hoping to remove the barriers of transportation, wait times and cost.
“We’ll have 10 of these set up and we’ll see like 200 patients in a day, and we partner with other non-profits to provide glasses on the spot to people so that they don’t have to come all the way back to our clinic to get the glasses… they can get it all done over there,” explains Dr. Lisa Wahl, the Clinical Director of Ketchum Health LA.
The mobile clinics compliment the services offered at Ketchum’s South Los Angeles office where teaching professionals work side-by-side with fourth year students at the Southern California College of Optometry… who learn diagnostic skills while also applying classroom knowledge in a clinical setting.
“It’s beneficial in so many ways,” explains Dr. Wahl. “You get to help so many people, but also your students get the benefit of seeing a high volume of interesting cases that are great models for learning… and they also get a sense of what it’s like to work in one of these communities, and they get to learn about the difficulties of access to care and I think it makes them more compassionate people.”
“I feel like we hit the lotto,” says Claudia Nava. “Every time I come it’s a new student and you can tell they’re so eager to show you what they know, what they’ve learned and like you said, it’s the best of the best and we love it.”
For many patients, vision-care might feel like a luxury. But thanks to grant funding, Ketchum often provides the care free of charge and in the process, diagnosis small health concerns before they become more dangerous and expensive.
“Sometimes we’re the first doctor to ever see this patient…and we’ll do a full eye exam, and we’ll see bleeding in the back of the eye… we can’t diagnose the diabetes but a lot of times we know, ‘ok. There’s something going on here and you need further care,'” says Dr. Wahl.
The clinic is a fixture in South LA and has been providing quality eye-care for generations… the mobile clinics offer a chance for the next generation to see a brighter future.
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