Donation to provide Uninsured with Dental Care

A $30,000 gift from the Howard Green Foundation will help fund a new Community Access Dental Clinic for low income, uninsured adults in Oconee County.  Mountain Lakes Access Health executive director Cortni Nations says this donation will make a very big difference in our community.  “We are thrilled that we are able to secure some donations for a dental clinic for the underserved here in our rural community.  This is a great start for us.  Dental care or a lack there of is a big need, particularly in a rural community with so many uninsured adults, even those that do have Medicaid.  Medicaid does not pay for adult dental and so there really is a huge gap in service there.  So, we are grateful to the Green Foundation for getting us underway with our fundraising campaign and helping us pursue the implementation of a dental clinic for the uninsured.” During a three-month period in 2012, more than 200 adults came to the Oconee Medical Center Emergency Room with dental emergencies.  Mountain Lakes Access Health’s vision is to provide a coordinated approach in an easy-to-access location so that individuals not only receive dental care, but also receive the education they need to manage their own health.  Mountain Lakes Access Health and its Dental Committee are currently working on the initial three-part plan, which includes securing additional volunteers and funding to make the clinic a reality.  Space for the clinic is being donated by Oconee Medical Center.