CLOVIS, N.M., March 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In just five counties of rural New Mexico, more than 16,000 children are insured by Medicaid, but only 3% of these children have had an eye exam in the past year because, in these areas, there are not enough providers who offer appointments for children on Medicaid. At Adventure Vision, we are committed to making an impact on the access to care issue. Our mission is to provide vision care to children in underserved areas. This year, we are setting out to bring vision care to children in the more rural areas of New Mexico. When working with state government agencies, we found that Clovis was the #1 area of need for vision services for children on Medicaid. We need your help to increase awareness about this program.

Our first vision care days are scheduled for March 30 and 31^st and April 13 and 14 at the Matt 25 Hope Center in Clovis. Families can schedule an appointment by calling 575-440-0443. We are accepting Medicaid and Lions Club Vision Vouchers for uninsured children.

“This year our commitment is to take what we do on the road and go to those areas without access to make a big impact on the kids that need care. When we started talking to community partners about the need, the stories we heard were that families were waiting 5 or 6 months for an appointment with an eye doctor that accepts Medicaid. That is unacceptable. Our kids deserve better,” says Janelle Shumaker, Director of Community Outreach at Adventure Vision.

Getting the word out to the families of Clovis, and surrounding areas, that we are here for them is imperative to the success of this program. Simply put, we know there are children who need to be seen and we need to fill these appointments each month, so that we can make the biggest impact and continue returning to serve these locations. Untreated vision problems are detrimental to children’s learning and increased eye strain from digital classrooms is now affecting even more children.

We want to make sure that kids who are uninsured also have access to care which is why we are excited to be partnering with the New Mexico Lions Operation KidSight program who will provide free vouchers for any child that is not currently covered by Medicaid.

“It is our statewide mission to help make sure no child, 18 years and under, go without the vision care they need so it was a no-brainer to partner with Adventure Vision on this project,” says Brenda Dunn, Program Manager from the New Mexico Lions Operation KidSight.

About Adventure Vision
Every child deserves great care and that’s why Adventure is 100% focused on delivering high quality care to children in underserved communities. With offices nationwide, Adventure has been helping children ages six months through 20 years gain access to the eye care they need since 2006. Their kid-friendly offices and caring staff take the fear out of vision visits, making it fun, easy and affordable for children to thrive. Learn more at mydentalvisioncare.com.

Contact: Lisa McAlister
303-931-0955, lisa.mcalister@herodvo.com