Wellness on Wheels

Advancing asthma treatment in communities

Wellness on Wheels is a pioneering mobile healthcare service for pediatric asthma care and other wellness initiatives. As an evolution of CHOC’s Breathmobile program, which began in 2002 in partnership with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, WoW goes beyond the prevention and treatment of asthma symptoms. We also provide holistic health services to support your child’s overall wellness, as mental health, obesity, environment and access to community resources can affect asthma symptoms. We aim to help improve your child’s well-being and respiratory health while providing the essential tools to thrive in childhood and beyond.

To ensure every family that needs these services can access them, WoW actively takes part in community engagement, education and outreach. We aim to empower all families with the resilience, knowledge and ability to navigate healthcare in Orange County. We understand that establishing trusted relationships with your care providers is essential. Our diverse team takes pride in reflecting and representing the very people we serve, which is key to building these lasting connections.

We have WoW staff fluent in English, Spanish and Tagalog. Additional translation services are also available for Korean, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese and all other languages.

Conditions we treat

In California alone, nearly 1.6 million children live with asthma, a chronic lung condition that can make breathing difficult due to airways tightening, often after exposure to certain triggers. To ensure every child in Orange County has complete access to high-quality asthma care, Wellness on Wheels offers a comprehensive list of evaluations, tests, screenings, therapies and treatments, in addition to conditions related to asthma.

Services currently offered at WoW:

What to expect in Wellness on Wheels asthma clinics

Setting up an appointment

Children are seen at the Wellness on Wheels clinic by appointment only, which can be scheduled after confirming program eligibility and receiving a referral. We cannot accommodate walk-ins. There are several ways for parents to receive a referral:

• Talk to your child’s primary care physician or school nurse about getting a referral to WoW.
• Attend a community event with a WoW representative or WoW clinic on-site. They can provide you with a screening to determine if your child meets the eligibility criteria.
• Parents and caregivers can self-refer. If you believe your child is experiencing asthma-related symptoms, reach out to us directly and we’ll see if your child is eligible for treatment at WoW.

After obtaining a referral to the Wellness on Wheels clinic, call us at 714-509-7571 to book your appointment.

At the appointment

When arriving for your first WoW visit, you’ll meet with a patient services representative. They will complete the intake process, introduce the clinic’s purpose and mission and conduct one or more social, wellness and/or mental health screenings to gain a complete view of your child’s overall health.

Next, your child will see a CHOC nurse who specializes in pediatric asthma care and who will provide a complete medical evaluation, including a physical examination, and additional testing, which may include:

• Pulmonary function tests
• Peak expiratory flow (PEF) tests
• Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) tests
• Skin tests for allergies

Based on the results, the physician or nurse practitioner may provide a formal diagnosis and offer in-depth education about the diagnosis, including symptom management. Then, they will create a personalized asthma action plan for your child, which may include:

• At-home therapies and treatments
• Allergen and environmental trigger reduction and avoidance
• Prescriptions for medications including inhalers and corticosteroids
• Exercise and nutrition plans
• Recommendations to community and wellness services
• Referrals to additional specialists

Our provider will then answer any questions, and the patient services representative will schedule a follow-up visit.

After the appointment

After your child’s first appointment, you can expect ongoing asthma care that goes beyond a single visit. While you’ll now have a personalized plan for at-home treatment tailored to your child’s unique needs, we will continue to offer guidance on therapies, track their progress and adjust their asthma care plan. We’ll also set up follow-up visits at your preferred WoW location and provide contact information so you can connect with our team anytime.
If your child could benefit from visiting doctors or medical specialists outside of WoW, we can make those referrals or offer recommendations to your primary care provider to ensure a seamless healthcare journey.

We believe that the best asthma care involves more than medical treatments alone. WoW can connect families to additional health, wellness and social services, such as nutrition and fitness education groups, community support and other great resources.