athenahealth, Inc, a leading provider of network-enabled software and services for medical groups and health systems nationwide, and Smile Foundation announced the expansion of their partnership with the launch of a second mobile medical unit, as part of the Smile on Wheels initiative, in Bengaluru, India. The mobile medical unit provides free care to underprivileged and underserved communities in Karnataka state.
The expansion is a result of the success of the partnership’s first mobile medical unit, which was launched in August 2021 to help strengthen public health infrastructure and provide primary healthcare to Chennai residents. To date, the original unit has served more than 25,000 people. athenaGives, athenahealth’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, provides financial support for the Smile on Wheels mobile medical units.
In addition to healthcare accessibility, another objective of the second mobile medical unit in Bengaluru is safe motherhood, ensuring all women receive the care they need to be healthy throughout pregnancy and childbirth and to reduce the number of maternal mortalities.
Smile on Wheels is a national-level mobile healthcare program from Smile Foundation that benefits underprivileged communities. Through the program, well-equipped mobile medical units, along with specialized doctors, nurses, and medical staff, reach out to villages in underserved urban communities to provide crucial access to primary healthcare services. Smile on Wheels has to date provided free healthcare services to more than 1.5 million children and families across India.
“Ensuring the proper healthcare for children and young mothers is crucial for the people of Karnataka. We are glad to take our partnership with athenahealth further and to complement the healthcare efforts of the government,” said Mr. Santanu Mishra, co-founder and executive trustee at Smile Foundation.
“We are proud to partner with Smile Foundation to support patients in underprivileged communities in India,” said Gillian Perron, head of athenaGives at athenahealth. “Maternal health is a global issue, and we look forward to continuing to work with organizations both in India and the United States to help improve pregnancy and childbirth outcomes.”
SOURCE: Businesswire