RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF GREATER LAS VEGAS INC

In an effort to provide access to dental care for underserved children in rural Nevada, RMHC of Greater Las Vegas, in partnership with Nevada Health Center’s Miles for Smiles, launched a Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program - a mobile dental unit that delivers care directly to children in their own neighborhoods. Research indicates that Nevada ranks 49th in the nation in access to dental care and experiences among the highest rates of decay in the nation. Children who don’t receive preventive and primary care are at greater risk for serious and long-term health problems.
Pain from dental disease restricts a child’s ability to eat, affects their nutrition, sleep patterns, ability to play or participate in sports, and experience healthy social growth and development. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program directly addresses these issues.
The program serves Elko, White Pine, Humboldt, Eureka and Lander counties in Nevada, making scheduled visits to accessible locations like schools, churches and community centers. Thousands of children who would otherwise go without dental care are currently being served through the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program.
The vehicle was designed and built specifically for the purpose of providing dental care, and houses two dental hygiene / treatment rooms, a lab with x-ray capabilities, and reception and records area. A variety of services are offered through the program, including restorative and preventive dental care; dental hygiene and healthy lifestyle education; referrals and follow-up treatment. The program also helps eligible families obtain government-assisted insurance.
The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile is fully staffed with dentists, dental hygienists and support staff. Nevada Health Center’s Miles for Smiles facilitates the program, overseeing the scheduling, staffing and maintenance of the vehicle. Miles for Smiles also has their own mobile dental units in Las Vegas

The RMHC of Greater Las Vegas Scholarship Program is a partnership between RMHC, McDonald’s, and local community organizations. The scholarships help students who have limited access to career and educational opportunities, and is part of RMHC & McDonald’s ongoing commitment to education. McDonald’s Owner/Operators of Greater Las Vegas and The Las Vegas Review Journal help support the program by contributing a portion of every Review Journal newspaper sold in participating McDonald’s restaurants. Since 2002, over $1 million in newspaper contributions have been donated to the RMHC Scholarship Program!

During regular hospital visits, volunteers noticed that several parents staying at their children’s bed side weren’t eating. So RMHC began delivering sack lunches to these families on a weekly basis. Since the program began in 2004, volunteers have prepared and delivered over 73,000 lunches to families and have brought stuffed animals, toys and games for the children staying at University Medical Center (UMC) and Sunrise Children’s Hospital. Thanks to a grant from The MGM Mirage Voice Foundation, over 28,000 lunches will be delivered in 2009 – that’s 550 lunches each week! RMHC volunteers also noted that many injured or sick children and their families were waiting for several hours to be treated at local emergency rooms. In an effort to relieve some of the anxiety experienced by these families, RMHC prepares activity bags for children at UMC and Sunrise Children’s Hospital emergency rooms. The bags include games, toys and activities to help make a trip to the emergency room a little more bearable for children and their families.