The Health Wagon Partners with OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation to Expand Vision Care

The Health Wagon announced a new partnership with the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation following a successful vision clinic held March 12–13 in Wise and Clintwood in collaboration with the ETSU Health Quillen College of Medicine. The two-day event brought together providers, volunteers, and community partners to deliver critical healthcare services to underserved populations in Southwest Virginia, with vision care emerging as a key area of impact. Through this partnership, the Health Wagon received essential ophthalmic equipment including autorefractors, non-contact tonometry devices, and lensometers, enabling comprehensive eye exams at the Donnie Rife Vision Center within the Sister Bernie Kenny Clinic. This advanced equipment significantly expanded the organization’s ability to diagnose and treat vision conditions in real time. During the March outreach, 37 comprehensive ophthalmic examinations were completed and 41 patients received free prescription glasses, improving vision and expanding access to education, employment, and quality of life. Volunteer ophthalmologist Dr. David Kinsler supported the clinic and noted the impact of the upgraded equipment, encouraging continued service in future outreach events. This effort aligns with broader initiatives to eliminate barriers to vision care and ensure access is treated as a right, not a privilege. “We are incredibly proud of what this partnership made possible,” said Dr. Teresa Owens Tyson, DNP, President and CEO of the Health Wagon. “This is about creating sustainable access to vision services in communities that have long gone without.” Melissa Standridge of the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation emphasized the importance of collaboration in expanding access to care, while Dr. Paula Hill-Collins, DNP, noted that the equipment transformed on-site services, allowing patients to receive exams and prescriptions immediately—services often out of reach in rural Appalachia. The Health Wagon serves Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Washington, and Wise counties, and the City of Norton, continuing to expand access through mobile and clinic-based care. Photo credit: Dr. David Kinsler examining a patient during the Health Wagon/ETSU Quillen College of Medicine vision clinic held March 12–13. The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation-donated equipment enabled 37 comprehensive eye exams and the distribution of 41 pairs of prescription glasses during the two-day outreach event.