WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--athenahealth, Inc., a leading provider of network-enabled software and services for medical groups and health systems nationwide, and Smile Foundation today announced that through their partnership in the Smile on Wheels program, more than 10,000 patients received care in its first six months of operation. athenahealth and Smile Foundation launched their mobile medical unit in August 2021 to strengthen public health infrastructure and provide primary healthcare to Chennai residents.
Smile on Wheels is a national-level mobile hospital program focused on serving underprivileged children and women. Through the program, athenahealth is providing financial support for a Smile on Wheels mobile medical unit, which offers primary healthcare services in an area of Chennai with approximately 17,600 households and 88,000 residents.
"We are proud of the significant impact that this partnership is already making by providing so many residents with access to necessary healthcare," said Vikram Singh Verma, executive director, Smile Foundation. "We look forward to continuing to work with athenahealth to provide primary healthcare services to the Chennai community."
“athenahealth is proud to partner with Smile Foundation and support the Smile on Wheels program, which is providing vital care to some of the most vulnerable communities in India,” said Sasidharan Chinnaraj, executive director of engineering at athenahealth India. “Through this program, we are already making a significant impact in Chennai, and we look forward to continuing to serve these communities with the care they need and deserve.”
The Smile on Wheels program sends well-equipped medical vans, along with specialized doctors, nurses, medical staff, and medicine, to villages and underserved communities to provide crucial access to healthcare services. The objective of the program is to ensure improved health services reach the doorsteps of people residing in unserved or underserved areas. Smile on Wheels has so far provided free healthcare services to more than 1.5 million children and families across India.
Additional athenahealth Support in India through the athenaGives CSR Program
In addition to Smile Foundation, athenahealth is working with myriad organizations to support communities in India, including:
- athenahealth will support three schools through India STEM Foundation’s Flagship program by building in-school STEM labs to provide students with tools to implement hands-on, project‐based learning of key STEM concepts and innovation skills.
- athenahealth is participating in India FoodBanking Network’s School Nutrition Programs with the primary goals to help prevent hunger, increase school enrollment, reduce absenteeism, and improve learning outcomes.
- athenahealth volunteers recently participated in events with the Akshaya Patra Foundation – an NGO striving to eliminate classroom hunger – in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Pune, distributing 2,755 Family Happiness Kits and 12,500 cooked meals.
About athenahealth, Inc.
athenahealth creates innovative healthcare technology that connects clinicians, patients, payers, and partners in differentiated ways. Our electronic health records, revenue cycle management, and patient engagement tools allow anytime, anywhere access, driving better financial outcomes for our customers and enabling our provider customers to deliver better quality care. In everything we do, we’re inspired by our vision to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all. For more information, please visit www.athenahealth.com.
Through athenaGives, athenahealth’s corporate social responsibility program, we have partnered with Smile Foundation to help advance our mission and create positive social impact. athenaGives’ mission is to expand access to high-quality healthcare for all today, ensure food security, and support STEM education to develop providers and technologists who will provide access to high-quality healthcare for all tomorrow. For more information, please visit https://www.athenahealth.com/about/athenagives-india.
About Smile Foundation
Smile Foundation is an NGO in India directly benefitting over 15,000,000 children and their families every year through more than 400 live welfare projects on education for poor children, healthcare, livelihood, and women’s empowerment in more than 2,000 remote villages and underserved communities across 25 states of India. Adopting a life cycle approach of development, Smile Foundation focuses its interventions on children, their families, and the community.
