Private Foundation supports Dental Care for Uninsured
The Oconee Medical Center Foundation recently received a $30,000 gift from the Howard Green Foundation to help fund a new Community Access Dental Clinic for low income, uninsured adults through the Mountain Lakes Access Health network. This gift was made possible through the efforts of Foundation Trustee, Ivor Rich, who lives in Oconee County. The Howard Green Foundation was founded in 1999, and funded in 2002, following the death of Mr. Green. He was a broadcasting executive, owning radio and television stations in New York and New Jersey. The Foundation was created to help organizations that benefit the community, especially those that help the neediest members of society. “Our Board chose to financially support Mountain Lakes Access Health and a community-based dental clinic because we understand the negative health consequences that result from lack of dental care,” Mr. Rich said. “We like the holistic approach that Access Health is using to manage their patients’ care and think this approach, when applied to dental care, will make a very big difference in our community.” According to Cortni Nations, director of Mountain Lakes Access Health, during a three-month period in 2012, more than 200 adults came to the OMC Emergency Room with dental emergencies. “We are constantly evaluating the needs of our rural community and the barriers that people face here. Oral health is certainly one of those needs,” said Nations. “It’s a factor that affects everything from chronic disease to being able to find a job. Our 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.