PATTERSON -- Mothers, with their small children in tow, were there waiting even before the clinic on wheels arrived.

Those who live near the Patterson Labor Camp were told the MOMobile, the mobile clinic operated by Stanislaus County's Health Services Agency, would be there all day Saturday. Their children would be able to get check-ups and medicine.

Since mid-July, the MOMobile has visited labor camps in Patterson and Westley every other week. A one- time grant from Blue Cross of California for $54,000 enabled the MOMobile program to add the locations to the list of communities they serve, said coordinator Teresa Avila. The extra money, which supplements the MOMobile's annual budget of approximately $160,000, was specifically earmarked for migrant communities.

"A lot of these people come and go with the seasons," Avila explained. "They don't have insurance. The children may be behind in getting their inoculations. Or they may have some other health problem."

For five years, the MOMobile has traveled to neighborhoods in the greater Stanislaus County area where health care services are not readily available.

"We become their clinic," Avila said.

The MOMobile has just about everything a small family practice clinic would have to provide basic health care. Among the services offered: well-child check-ups, physical examinations for children, women and mothers-to-be, immunizations, dental screenings and lead testing.

Avila, who has been with the MOMobile since its early days, said the majority of patients seen are children under age 12, most of them toddlers.

Saturday, 29-year-old Jovita Perez of Patterson brought her son, Rafael who is 16 months old, and daughter, Careli, 5.

Perez is a little worried about Rafael, who is anemic. He has a runny nose. He also needs a shot that will protect him from whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus.

Perez tells Avila that during the off-season, the children receive Medi-Cal. But since it is harvesting season, the Perez family earns too much to qualify for Medi-Cal. Their employer offer no benefits. If her children get sick during the working season, she takes them to a clinic or hospital for treatment and pays cash.

Like many of the adults there, Perez hasn't had a check-up herself for some time. When money for health care is scare, the children come first.

Avila measures Rafael's height and weight and takes a blood sample from his finger to check his anemia. Everything looks good. Avila sends Rafael on the next phase of his care where he will be examined by family nurse practitioner Betty Schimon.

After listening to Rafael's heart and breathing, and checking his ears and eyes, Schimon said the child is in good health. His runny nose is just from a minor summer cold. Schimon gives the boy's mother some cold medicine and tells her he needs to be seen again in six months.

"These people are so patient," Schimon said. "They come and they wait without complaining. They are here to get what their child needs."

And on this day, what 3-year-old Nayeli Mendoza needs is a hepatitis B shot, said her mother, Eva Mendoza.

Nayeli is a happy child with big, brown eyes and a wide smile. But the girl's smile turned to a tearful frown when she caught a glimpse of the needle coming toward her. After her shot, her mother consoled her and

Schimon gave her a reassuring hug. While Nayeli had to endure a second or two of pain, the shot will give her years of protection.

Avila said the work they do through the MOMobile helps everyone in the long run.

"When we immunize these children, we're not just protecting them," Avila said. "We are protecting them, their families and the community at large."

Reprinted by permission of Modesto Bee.