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Mobile doctor's office to help lead-exposed kids in Flint

Kids in Flint will soon get checkups from a doctor’s office on wheels. The 40-foot long blue RV is a new initiative from Hurley Children’s Hospital to help kids who have been exposed to lead.

Senator Debbie Stabenow, D-MI, was in Flint on Friday to announce the arrival of the clinic.

“We’re talking about being able to make sure children get testing, get information about what to do in terms of nutrition, getting their regular doctor visits; any specialty care they need for themselves as well as their families,” she says.

The mobile clinic is a donation from the non-profit Children’s Health Fund.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is the Hurley pediatrician who discovered that blood lead levels in kids in Flint nearly doubled after the city switched to the Flint River. She says the clinic on wheels will fill a huge gap.

“Every day in our clinic 20-30% of our patients don’t come, and they don’t come for many reasons, transportation is the largest reason. They just can’t get to where they need to go,” she says.

Rebecca Williams is senior editor in the newsroom, where she edits stories and helps guide news coverage.
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