For Immediate Release
July 20, 2000
Contact: Ed Fishel
410/706-3801, Pager: 410/471-1735
[email protected]
Oros Gift to Nursing School Funds New Wellmobile
A $200,000 gift from Marla Oros, an assistant dean at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, and her entrepreneur husband, David Oros, will make it possible for the School to purchase and outfit a third mobile health clinic to serve uninsured children and adults in Maryland.
Marla and David Oros say seeing first-hand that the School's two current Wellmobiles "make a difference in people's lives while supporting nursing education and research" prompted the gift.
Marla Oros, an alumna of the school and assistant dean for clinical practice and services, leads the School's clinical enterprise, which has grown to include the Governor's Wellmobile Program, the Open Gates Health Center; 14 school-based wellness centers in public elementary and secondary schools throughout Maryland; the Southwest Family Support Center; and a senior care center at the Urban Medical Institute.
David Oros is founder and chief executive officer of Aether Systems, Inc. in Owings Mills.
"Wellmobiles are operated in partnership with the communities they serve," Marla Oros explains. "We always consult with local health officers, community organizations, the school system, and other officials to explain that the Wellmobile is a tool to accomplish their objectives." The 33-foot vans visit schools, health fairs, community and senior centers, and health departments.
The Wellmobile program is a public/private partnership through individual, corporate, foundation and public grants, including existing support from the Robert Wood Johnson Covering Kids Program, the National Library of Medicine and the Maryland Health Care Foundation. One mobile health van serves Prince George's and Montgomery counties and the Baltimore metropolitan area. The other is on the Eastern Shore and, this summer, is providing services to migrant workers and their families.
The School of Nursing manages and operates the Wellmobile program with nurse practitioner faculty and students providing primary care services and other students rotating through as part of their training in community health. Each van is equipped with two examination rooms, a laboratory and reception area with VCR for health education, laptop computer, fax capability and a mobile phone.
Services include physical exams; treatment and referral for illnesses; screenings for early detection of breast, cervical and prostate cancer; health education; substance abuse and smoking prevention programs; immunizations; well-child care; vision and hearing screenings; detection and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases; laboratory tests and diagnosis. Marla Oros says her six years of Wellmobile experience have provided her with a few unexpected lessons.
"I know a lot about chassis now," she laughs. "In order to withstand the wear and tear, I know that the next Wellmobile will be built on a commercial chassis rather than on a chassis designed for a recreational vehicle."
She also has seen the transformation in nursing students when they rotate through the program. "It is a career-changing experience for many of them," she explains. "Being so close to patients with so many basic needs instills a sense of the importance of community nursing, which is an area that needs more nurses."
The 2000 Maryland General Assembly passed legislation that establishes the Governor's Wellmobile Program within the School to deliver primary and preventive health care to underserved communities and uninsured individuals in Western Maryland, the Washington metropolitan area, Baltimore's metropolitan area, south central Maryland, and the upper and lower Eastern Shore.
The legislation, which becomes effective October 1, requires the School to develop other funding mechanisms, including public and private donations, such as the Oros gift. School of Nursing Dean Barbara R. Heller, EdD, RN, FAAN, says, "This commitment from Marla and David Oros shows the support necessary to make the Governor's Wellmobile Program a viable, effective service for the people of Maryland."
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http://www.oea.umaryland.edu/Media/NewsSum/News.htm
The Baltimore campus of the University of Maryland is home to the dental school, graduate school, and schools of law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and social work. It is the founding campus of the University System of Maryland.
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