MACHIAS, Maine — The lower east side of New York City has been without power after superstorm Sandy, but that hasn’t pulled the plug on efforts by the New York University College of Dentistry’s Henry Schein Cares Global Student Outreach Program to be in the Washington County community of Machias throughout this week.
NYU faculty dentists and dental students who headed to Maine over the weekend spent much of last week — in the dark, many wearing headlamps — packing up the supplies they will use to provide free dental care to children and adults, beginning Monday, Nov. 5, at Lee Pellon Event Center at 90 Main Street.
“They’ve been packing up in buildings that have no power,” said Jen Wood, who is coordinating the free clinic for the Washington County Children’s Program, a division of United Cerebral Palsy of Maine. “Some of the supplies they will need were already shipped to us before the storm, but they are bringing the rest with them.”
Wood said only three of the 33 people expected to come to Down East Maine to staff the clinic are unable to make the trip, given the fallout from Hurricane Sandy. Working with local volunteers, they will be offering free dental care most of this week.
On Monday and Tuesday, the clinic will run from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. On Wednesday hours will be extended to 6:30 p.m. The clinic will be closed Thursday, but will be open again from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday.
Routine dental services for children will include examinations, X-rays, fluoride varnish, sealants, fillings, extractions and stainless steel crowns. Emergency adult services include examinations, X-rays, sealants, fillings and root canals.
The clinics are designed to provide dental care to those who have limited access to dental health providers. Since the clinics began two years ago, they have meet the needs of more than 3,000 children and adults.
For information, call 255-3426 of visit www.wccp.net.
Great effort on the part of the out-of-towners for dental health.
Now , if we could only get the locals to put in some effort for dental health…..
How
will healthcare reform affect dental coverage?
Read Joanne Fontana’s perspective here:
http://www.healthcaretownhall.com/?p=6038
Those responsible for making this wonderful program happen are nothing less than saints!
Beyond the very high level of expertise they serve as excellent examples of what caring people
can contribute to a community!
(Every previous article about this topic the BDN has closed (much to their shame) to comment after 3 responses. Someone asleep at the switch?)
I went today for the first time after being turned down at the Harrington medical center because I didn’t have $3500.00 for a root canal and got the privaledge of being treated very inhumanely there to boot. But when I came to the machias dental outreach at 7:00 am and left at 5:30 pm with a completely healed tooth and a sense that I just made a whole bunch of Fine Friends in the process. I can’t say Thank you enough, If I was Rich I’d buy everybody there a meal in the finest restaurant I could find. Very Kind and generous People. The Fellow patients were very kind also and fun to talk to and pass the time.