This grant will cover part-time salaries and benefits for clinic and mobile-unit optometrists and coordinators, mobile clinic maintenance and transportation costs, and supplies and equipment necessary for Vision Care Program expansion.
The SEE Vision Care (SVC) program delivers free eyecare services to underserved individuals and families in the south county. Forty-nine percent of SVC patients are children, and 88% come from extremely low-income households.
SVC has experienced a significant increase in demand for their services in recent years. Currently, patients must wait months for appointments and must travel increased distances for eyecare services. SEE will expand access to their eyecare services by hiring additional staff and extending the range of their mobile unit. They will increase the number of service days at their Goleta clinic from three to four per week and will take their mobile unit to Carpinteria once per month. This expansion will reduce wait time for appointments, minimize transportation issues, and provide more clients with timely vision care.
