SAFEWAY UNITS HOST MOBILE HEALTH CLINIC

CHAPIN CLARK

LANHAM, Md. -- Safeway's Eastern division here has made a free mobile health clinic a regular feature at two of its Washington stores.

As of Jan. 20, the Maternity Outreach Mobile, or MOM, will be visiting Safeway units at 514 Rhode Island Ave. N.E. and 1601 Maryland Ave. N.E. the third and fourth Tuesdays, respectively, every month for an indefinite period.

The stores are located in low-income areas where adequate, affordable medical care is scarce, said Craig Muckle, a Safeway spokesman.

"These are very much underprivileged areas," he said. "We want to be a visible part of the neighborhood and help out any way we can."

Each MOM clinic lasts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free services include pregnancy testing and prevention, lead abatement, substance-abuse counseling, mental-health counseling and infant-health examinations. Free immunizations are given both inside the van, parked in the Safeway lot, and in the store pharmacy.

Immunizations will vary as the season dictates, Muckle said.

The MOM is operated by the District of Columbia Healthy Start Project, part of the D.C. Department of Health. Other partners in the effort are the D.C. Office of Maternal/Child Health and the Capitol Community Health Plan and Chartered Health Plan.

Safeway is not contributing funds to the mobile clinics, Muckle said.

D.C. Healthy Start approached Safeway earlier this winter, Muckle said. "They were looking for a venue with a lot of traffic, and both of these stores are in plaza scenarios."

A statement from the retailer announces: "MOM has found a new place to call home -- and it's convenient for shopping, too."

"Maybe sales will increase in an indirect way," said Muckle. "It might build consumer loyalty among people who haven't shopped there before. But we didn't do it with that in mind. We're doing it to be a good neighbor."

Safeway operates 108 stores in the Washington area.