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MADISON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) – Making sure children in Madison County have proper medical care is a vital part of a child’s health, but a lot of families need help accessing that care – more than you might realize.

Heather Mason with HEALS, Inc. told News 19 that there are about 27,000 children in Madison County alone living in poverty, many without access to medical care.

HEALS provides medical, dental, and optometry care inside schools, helping with one of their parents’ biggest obstacles: transportation.

If a child needs medication, they can also be assisted by HEALS, as many times, paying for it would come out-of-pocket.

Mason said they served about 3,000 children in 2021. They provided about 2,000 medical visits, another 1,800 dental visits, and more than 200 optometry visits.

HEALS right now is looking for more nurses to help with their clinics, as well as physicians and dentists. For more information about getting in touch with HEALS, click here.