Since March 2013, Chris Pantuso, founder and CEO of the Calabria Foundation, has begun advancing his organization's health care efforts with plans to implement three mobile medical units by summer 2014. The organization—dedicated to advancing education and local art—will serve the uinsured and under-insured through the new units.

"It's the concept of whatever you have left over at the end of the month ought to go to those who need it," Pantuso said. "Charity should start at home, but as I grew up, family took on a wider definition. Somebody with a heartbeat is how I define family."

Pantuso's idea for establishing mobile medical units came to light several years ago when he was helping a local Lions Club build a wheelchair ramp for a woman living in a trailer in Pantuso's hometown of San Antonio. After a few hours, the project was completed.

"The woman was so thankful that she could get down the ramp and into her truck that she began to cry," Pantuso said. "I knew there was something more there, and when I asked she said, 'Not for me, for my bedridden mom who is diabetic. I can now take her to the hospital.' That's when it crystallized the need for these services to be mobile. Something is wrong with the system."

Once established, the mobile medical units are expected to provide 27 different types of screenings for patients for a flat cost of $5. After paying the one-time fee, patients will have complete access to all of the unit's resources, including screenings for cholesterol levels, breast and prostate cancer and HIV/AIDS.

"The target audience is the uninsured and the indigent who aren't capable of getting these kinds of services out of pocket for what it really costs," board member Jeff Hinton said.

Initially established as a tool to support continued education and the local arts, the Calabria Foundation has provided community services through various scholarships and events for more than three decades.

The organization—named for the Italian province where Pantuso's family immigrated from—was a foundation only in name for many years, he said, but is now in the process of obtaining nonprofit status from the IRS. Pantuso said he hopes to receive nonprofit status by the end of 2013.

The foundation began implementing Calabria Gardens earlier this month at Destin Drywall and Paint off Schiel and Mueschke roads as a community garden aimed at supporting various organizations and charities.

"You can't divorce good health and good nutrition," Pantuso said.

Work on the garden began in late April, and—thanks to the efforts of several Destin employees like Cyndi Wyman and the RCW Nursery—seasonal produce such as tomatoes, okra and summer squash have already been planted, and more plant varietals are expected to be harvested throughout the year. Fruits and vegetables produced by Calabria Gardens will be donated to support Cypress Assistance Ministries, Cy-Hope and the Houston Food Bank's Keegan Kitchen.

"We found that there were several organizations just clamoring for fresh food donations," Pantuso said. "My family has always taught that 'life is service,' and I've never been afraid of hard work."

As the garden continues to grow, plans are in place to open an on-site farmers market to offer fresh produce to area residents and visitors.

Mobile Screening

By summer 2014, the Calabria Foundation expects to have at least three mobile medical buses capable of screening patients for assessment purposes and will be able to diagnose more than two dozen maladies. The mobile units plan to utilize new technology that will perform a majority of the screenings without a blood draw in about two minutes through a low-voltage electrical current. After completing the screenings administered by a licensed Texas physician, patients have the option to have blood drawn for further assessments.

Height, Weight and Obesity

• This test will assess the patient's body weight and will be able to tell whether he or she is over- or underweight.

Heart Disease

• A series of screenings will be able to tell if the patient's blood pressure and cholesterol levels are too high or too low and will assess the patient's LDL and HDL levels.

Diabetes

• Of the 25.8 million Americans with diabetes, an estimated 7 million do not know they have the condition, according to the National Diabetes Education Program.

HIV/AIDS and Prostate/Breast Cancer

• These screenings have a life-saving potential by assessing whether a patient has contracted HIV or AIDS or has developed prostate or breast cancer.

Mental and Emotional Health

• Many people suffer from mental and emotional anguish. In addition to screenings, the physician will be able to assess mental health and make referrals accordingly.

Mobile Medical Units

Chris Pantuso of the Calabria Foundation has been in talks with Turtle Top Corp. for three of their mobile medical units. The company provides an array of multi-use vans and trucks for a variety of purposes, ranging from basic transportation to high-tech medical services.

The Calabria Gardens

Destin Drywall and Paint

20141 Schiel Road Cypress 281-746-2251 www.calabriafoundation.org