1. 1
MOBILE MEDICAL CARE, INC.
Speaking the Language of the Uninsured and Working Poor
On any given day that you visit MobileMed, you’ll hear the familiar sounds of ringing phones
and frantic patients, but you’ll also get a glimpse of the changing face of Montgomery County.
Each year, the Bethesda-based non-profit treats more than 5-thousand patients hailing from 100
countries, including Korea, Ethiopia, Ecuador and the Sudan.
Leila Abed, a certified nurse-practitioner (CNPR) examines a patient.
“Over 50-percent of our patients have a different primary language,” says Kalina Elitsina, a
development associate who oversees volunteers. On occasion, Ms. Elitsina, gets a chance to
converse in her native tongue when a newly arrived immigrant from Bulgaria seeks assistance.
“It’s fantastic! I’m glad I can help out,” says the enthusiastic caregiver.
Founded in 1968, MobileMed was the brainchild of Drs. Herman “Arnold” Meyersburg, a
psychiatrist from Kensington, and pediatrician George Cohen of Rockville. The dynamic duo
began offering free health care in the basement of a Methodist church in Kensington after
realizing that many of the immigrant children they tutored had little or no access to medical
care.
More than 40-years later, the need is still urgent.

2. 2
“We get generous support from Montgomery County, although the county as you know has
had cutbacks; so, we don’t have as much funding as we used to,” says Lin Orrin, the Director of
Development.
Orrin, a former journalist with over 20-years’ experience in the non-profit world, says
MobileMed -- unlike most safety nets in Montgomery County -- isn’t focused on just one
population or demographic. Instead, she says, it casts a wider net to protect the low-income
and uninsured.
A multi-generational family seeking care at the MobileMed/NIH Heart Clinic at Suburban Hospital talks with
Physicians Assistant Judy Kilpatrick, Clinic Manager.
“We ask for a co-pay from the patient of $40-dollars and on average we get about $25-dollars, “
says Orrin, “but nobody is turned away from an inability to pay.”
It costs about $2.4 million-dollars a year to fund MobileMed, which now has clinics in 10
locations throughout the county – including fixed sites and two well-equipped medical vans.
Thirty-seven staff and 200 volunteers work together on teams to provide primary and
preventive care, and some specialty services.

3. 3
MobileMed works closely with groups within the immigrant community, says Executive Director Peter Lowet.
Here, he receives a donation from Ian Granthon a 9-year-old student who raised funds from a chess tournament
to support MobileMed.
But just like any successful non-profit, MobileMed gets by with a little help from its friends.
According to Orrin, partnerships with Adventist HealthCare, Suburban Hospital and NIH have
eased burdens for patients and their families, especially for those coping with heart or
endocrine system issues, or coming from the emergency room into primary care.
“It’s not unusual for our patients to have chronic illnesses, or multiple chronic illnesses,” Orrin
emphasized. “They might come in for a broken arm and find out they’ve been diabetic for
years and they never knew it.”
“MobileMed was built on the collaboration of staff, volunteers and community partners 43
years ago,” says Board President Charlotte A. Jenkins. “We continue to rely on these important
relationships today to provide the superior service integration and innovation for which
MobileMed is known throughout the community.”

4. 4
MobileMed/NIH Heart Clinic at Suburban Hospital EKG tech and patient.
Whether patients speak English, Spanish, French, Korean or Farsi, MobilMed eagerly seeks to
partner interpreters with patients to make sure nothing is lost in translation. But, according to
staffers, growing demand means there’s a growing need for assistance.
“We need doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians’ assistants,” says Ms. Elitsina.
“But, we do also need general volunteers: people to help with office tasks, registrars to help out
with our clinics.”
And, in addition to encouraging more residents to volunteer, MobileMed says it’s exploring
new fundraising opportunities to offset rising healthcare costs.

5. 5
That’s why on May 4th the non-profit is hosting a special event at the Bethesda Hyatt that’s sure
to put a smile on many faces. The first “Laugh Riot for MobileMed” will feature the comedic
talent of Dave George, Jon Mumma and Chris Coccia.
Notes:
For more information on becoming a MobileMed volunteer, patient or benefactor, please call
301-841-0825 or visit the website: www.mobilemedicalcare.org.
James A. Black is a freelance writer with a background in broadcast journalism. He enjoys
writing profiles, reading biographies and participating in the public discourse by contributing
commentary on the stories and issues of the day. You can reach him by e-mail at:
jblack3rd@aol.com.