The final time the Iowa Dental Basis’s annual free two-day dental clinic, often known as the Iowa Mission of Mercy, hosted its clinic in Des Moines, the yr was 2013.
About $1.3 million in dental care was supplied for gratis to 1,475 sufferers, mentioned Zach Kouri, president of the Iowa Dental Basis and clinic chief of Iowa Mission of Mercy.
The muse introduced Wednesday throughout a information convention that the dental clinic is coming again to Des Moines in November. And this yr, Kouri hopes to serve not less than 1,800 sufferers $1.5 million in free dental care.
“I believe it should be our greatest Iowa Mission of Mercy ever,” Kouri mentioned.
When and the place will the free dental clinic be held?
This yr’s clinic shall be hosted from 6 a.m. to five p.m. on Nov. 4 and Nov. 5 on the Various Industries Constructing on the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Who can attend the free dental clinic?
The clinic is open to all ages. No appointment is critical.
Kouri mentioned many who attend do not have insurance coverage and can’t afford dental care. The clinic additionally serves many within the Amish group and those that are unhoused, Kouri mentioned.
“It is really a mission of compassion … there’s really a necessity — no matter the place sufferers reside, how a lot cash they make, or whether or not they have insurance coverage, we do our greatest to accommodate all those that want dental care,” Kouri mentioned.
“To drag this no-cost occasion collectively, it demonstrates what I’ve at all times identified to be true: We’re a group that cares about one another,” Polk County Supervisor Robert Brownell added.
What providers are supplied on the free dental clinic?
Individuals who want to attend the clinic are requested to carry their affected person histories with them. On the clinic, individuals can anticipate to obtain a wide range of providers, reminiscent of cleansing, root canals, extractions, and fillings. Kouri mentioned there are additionally restricted numbers of partial dentures accessible on a first-come, first-serve foundation.
Crowns, full dentures, or implants usually are not supplied on the clinic attributable to time constraints, Kouri mentioned.
Volunteers and donations wanted for the free clinic: ‘It is a rewarding expertise’
On the information convention, Kevin Baker, the native committee chair for Iowa Mission of Mercy, acknowledged the necessity for volunteers and donations.
Dental professionals are wanted to volunteer, he mentioned, reminiscent of dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants. Baker added that group volunteers are wanted to assist direct sufferers to the direct places throughout the clinic and translation providers, particularly in Spanish, Bosnian, and African and Asian dialects.
“It is a rewarding expertise,” Baker mentioned.
Additional data, in addition to alternatives to volunteer and donate, will be discovered at www.iowamom.org.
Iowa Mission of Mercy started in 2008 and has since hosted quite a few clinics throughout the state, offering over 15,000 sufferers with free dental care —a complete of greater than $10 million in providers, in keeping with Laurie Traetow, secretary and treasurer for the Iowa Dental Basis.
Clinics weren’t held in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Andrea Sahouri covers social justice for the Des Moines Register. She will be contacted at [email protected], on Twitter @andreamsahouri, or by cellphone 515-284-8247.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/information/well being/2022/04/28/iowa-mission-mercy-free-dental-clinic-des-moines-november-2022/9558447002/
