VSP’s Expanded ‘Mobile Eyes’ Program is a Nationwide Benefit

The Rancho Cordova company, VSP has a unique humanitarian side. While the organization does direct their eye care service to families in need, VSP Mobile Eyes looks at eye care on a national level. VSP Mobile Eyes program traveled the country in 2008 providing over $1.8 million in charitable eye care services and education outreach. In some area, Mobile Eyes provided response services to major disasters. The introduction of a second mobile clinic in June 2008 allowed for additional eye care resources to provide for those in need.

Combined, the mobile clinics traveled to 62 locations nationwide providing free or very low cost eye care services to more than 6,500 low-income, uninsured and under insured individuals and families. Over 75 VSP eye doctors and 57 VSP volunteers volunteered their time to work on VSP’s Mobile Response Team (MRT). “The mobile eye care clinics are a reflection of our desire to join with VSP doctors to provide services to those in need,” said Gary Brooks, VSP Vision Care president. “By providing eye care services to under served communities and being available at a moments notice to provide disaster relief, the mobile clinics are an example of our commitment to the community and the support we provide our doctors.”

VSP’s Mobile Eyes program began as an extension of relief efforts following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The program, which allows VSP to respond to disasters immediately, includes two mobile eye care clinics and 10 sets of portable ophthalmic equipment. Both clinics feature two state of the art, comprehensive eye exam rooms and a full dispensary to provide exams and materials to people in need.

By partnering with VSP eye doctors, the mobile clinics were able to respond to four major disasters throughout the United States in 2008, providing charitable eye care such as eye exams and replacement eye wear to those affected by Hurricane Ike in Texas and MRT support and supplies for the Super Tuesday tornadoes which ravaged Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. The mobile clinic and VSP eye doctors also provided relief and eye care to fire crews battling wild fires in California.