Vision To Learn (VTL) provides vision care to 100,000 students nationwide annually on their mobile clinics, enhancing equitable access for kids in underserved rural, urban, and suburban communities. But for about 15% of students examined, some additional level of care is needed beyond what can be provided in a mobile setting. Referred patients often encounter the same barriers to care that necessitated mobile care in the first place. Families do not have transportation, an absence of providers accepting Medicaid insurance, or parents not having PTO or the ability to miss work to take a child to an appointment. While VTL will gladly remake the glasses for free if a referred patient receives the recommended follow-up care, only a handful of prescriptions each year are returned because of the barriers mentioned above. In 2021, VTL launched their work in Ohio serving rural Appalachian counties that only exacerbated those barriers to care. Through two strategic partnerships, working with the Ohio Optometric Association (OOA) statewide and non-profit Sight For All United (SFAU) in Youngstown, VTL saw significant anecdotal and data-driven outcomes that helped connect more referred patients with the needed care. Many of the counties served by VTL in the region had single digit or no optometric providers, and community health issues compounded the issue, with rates of amblyopia that were more than double rates typically seen by VTL nationwide. VTL and OOA partnered to increase awareness of the mobile vision program, and ensure that referral relationships were created with local practices through face to face networking and direct outreach from the association. The result was a 100% increase in the number of brick and mortar practices willing to accept referral patients. VTL’s partnership with SFAU, whose mission is to lift barriers to access for patients in need of vision care. Through an innovative partnership and joint data sharing with VTL, SFAU, and partner schools, referred VTL patients are contacted by SFAU to assist with follow-up care. If assistance is needed, SFAU has negotiated referral agreements and discounted rates with local vision practice, and SFAU staff work with families to address barriers to care (i.e. transportation) or address out of pocket costs not covered by insurance. In one year, this partnership has resulted in a 400% increase in referred VTL patients receiving recommended referral care. Learning Objectives: · Attendees will learn networking tools to connect with state, regional, and local partners. · Attendees will develop funding strategies to support or scale partnerships. · Attendees will examine hybrid partnerships to enhance mobile health outcomes alongside brick and mortar practices.

Loni Maughan, Program Manager, Vision To Learn; Mark Scaramuzzi, Director of Operations, Vision To Learn