Every week, Texas Children’s Hospital’s mental health mobile clinic travels to community centers and libraries around Houston to reach uninsured and underinsured children.
On board, the clinic includes two rooms, and bilingual therapists to provide screenings and treatments for common and complex mental health needs to hundreds of children with limited access to care.
“The service is so innovative,” says Ana Ugueto, a pediatric psychologist and director of traumatic stress and resiliency program at Texas Children's Hospital. “We are providing services to children and their families who would go without care. We don’t turn anyone away.”
In 2025, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas awarded Texas Children’s a $15,000 grant as part of its Blue Impact℠ program, which funds organizations addressing social and economic factors that affect health.
BCBSTX awarded $2 million in Blue Impact grants to nearly 85 organizations statewide in 2025. Six grants totaling $120,000 specifically target improving behavioral health outcomes in Texas.
The funding for the mobile mental health clinic has helped pay for unit maintenance and fuel, patient and family materials, toys, books, games and snacks to enhance children’s therapy experiences.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see our Blue Impact grantees use this funding to enhance the health and well-being of underrepresented Texans,” said Patty Escoe, vice president of Texas plan operations. “For decades, we’ve worked in close collaboration with local community organizations, staying committed to sustainable solutions and aligning our investments where the data supports lasting change in people’s lives.”
The Blue Impact program has supported other Texas Children’s Hospital initiatives. Another 2025 grant is helping the hospital expand oncology and hematology care to underserved children in the Rio Grande Valley at the Vannie Cook Children’s Clinic in McAllen. A 2024 grant helped Texas Children's Meyer Center in Houston expand services for thousands of children with developmental needs and their families.
Helping children learn skills to thrive
Children who face social and economic adversity are at higher risk for trauma, stress and related mental health concerns, Ugueto says. They often experience significant barriers to behavioral health care, such as limited transportation, lack of insurance and mental health stigma.
“We want to remove as many barriers as we can,” says Ugueto, who wants to expand mobile services further South and West of Houston. “Families are telling other people about the services we provide.”
The mobile unit’s therapists see as many as a dozen children a day who have experienced trauma or been diagnosed with anxiety, disruptive behavior disorders or depression. Ugueto knows they are making difference in the lives of children and their families.
She recalls an 8-year-old patient referred for treatment because he became aggressive and destroyed things when he heard his parents argue. During therapy, he learned a breathing technique, which he began using at home to reduce stress and control his behavior.
“That’s what you want to see,” Ugueto says. “Patients are using what we’re teaching and putting it into practice.”