SCO’s mobile eye exam unit.
Southern College of Optometry (SCO) has acquired a mobile eye exam unit from S.A.V.E. (School Advocates for Vision and Education), a nonprofit organization founded in 2008 to increase access to services for children failing to receive needed follow-up care after an in-school vision screening.
Prior to the acquisition, the unit was funded by support from several sponsors in Memphis, and SCO provided doctor coverage. “S.A.V.E.’s mission has always been to provide access to eye health and vision care services for schoolchildren in Shelby County,” said Christine Weinreich, director of corporate and foundation relations at SCO. “SCO has enjoyed a working relationship with S.A.V.E. since its inception, and our dynamic, expanding community outreach programs have enabled us to absorb the operation and expand its potential.”
The mobile unit contains two exam rooms and a children’s optical dispensary. For the next several months, SCO will send doctors out into the community with the unit three days per week to provide eye health and vision care services to residents who need them most and plans to eventually increase use of the unit to five days per week.