An old Chinese proverb says, “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. And if you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else in need.” I am happy to report that the spirit of volunteerism in the Minnesota dental community is alive and well and growing.
Many Minnesota dentists travel all over the world on dental missions, and we have heard many of their inspiring stories of service. Much of the dental charity that happens in Minnesota goes on quietly and privately in the thousands of dental practices across the state. It is difficult to know how much charity work occurs in this setting, but one area in which we can get a sense of the amount of work being done is that of the volunteer clinics that have been created in our state. I thought it would be helpful to give an update on these clinics so that everyone is aware of this opportunity in the hope that he or she might contact one of them and become one of a growing number of dentists and staff who volunteer their time and talents on a regular basis. At a time when our public dental programs continue to be underfunded and our state legislature continues to focus its priorities elsewhere, dental volunteerism has become an even more important solution to providing care for those in need.
This article will summarize the history and activity of the volunteer dental clinics of Minnesota. In doing this survey, I found that the trends in volunteer activity have shown a steady increase over time and have made a further jump recently in that growth. There are eight volunteer programs currently active in Minnesota, and five of these programs have been created in just the last three years. All of the programs are currently productive and providing dental access to people with critical needs for dental care. All of the programs are functioning at their usual levels of care or are in the process of expansion to provide more clinic time. All are in need of more volunteer dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants.
Union Gospel Mission
435 University Avenue
Saint Paul, Minnesota
The Union Gospel Mission Clinic was established in 1970. They provide dental care to the general population of the Greater Twin Cities area. There are no restrictions, and the care provided is free. They operate as a walk-in clinic and provide pain control services including extractions and routine restorations.
Currently the clinic operates Monday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and provides extraction services only. The clinic recently underwent a renovation, and now has four complete new operatories. They are in the process of expanding their hours to include clinic time during the daytime hours. For additional information, please contact:
Ken Cooper
(651) 228-1800, ext. 300
kcooper@ugmtc.org
Uptown Community Dental Clinic
2431 Hennepin Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Uptown Community Dental Clinic was established in April of 1977. The clinic operates with the support of The United Way. They provide preventive, restorative, and oral surgery services to the uninsured Minneapolis population by appointment only. They charge for their services using a sliding fee schedule.
The clinic is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. For additional information, please contact:
Peg McMartin
(612) 374-4089, ext. 240
jrosell@mn.rr.com or www.neighborhoodinvolve.org
Sharing and Caring Hands Dental Clinic
525 North 7th Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Sharing and Caring Hands Dental Clinic was established in April of 1989. They provide services for the uninsured and those without other resources. The clinic is free and is open to the general population. They operate as a walk-in clinic and provide pain control treatment including routine restorative and oral surgery as well as preventive and oral hygiene services.
The clinic is open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The clinic also hosts an annual Children’s Dental Day for homeless children on the first Saturday in February. For more information, please contact:
Melissa Cozart
(612) 596-3463
Cozar001@UMN.edu
The Open Door Health Center
309 Holly Lane
Mankato, Minnesota
The Open Door Health Center was established in April of 1994. They provide medical and dental care for the uninsured and underinsured throughout south central Minnesota. For dental services, they accept patients with or without dental insurance. For those patients without dental insurance, fees for initial visits are on a sliding fee scale basis. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-in patients are always welcome.
Open Door provides comprehensive dentistry services Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Evening appointments are available by appointment. Open Door is currently seeking dentists, dental hygienists and assistants who wish to volunteer their time to improve the dental health of the underserved population throughout southern Minnesota. For addition information, please contact:
Jeff Halbur
(507) 388-2120
Halbur.Jeff@Mayo.edu or www.ODHC.org
The Red River Valley Dental Access Program
3115 South University Avenue
Fargo, North Dakota
The Red River Valley Dental Access Project was established as an Urgent Care/
walk-in dental clinic in June of 2002 as one of several strategies to address the issues of access to oral health care. The project was established with a grant from the Dakota Medical Foundation. The clinic provides urgent care and palliative services, including some restorative dentistry and extractions, for the greater Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota area. They operate as a walk-in clinic and accept the lower income, uninsured, and patients on Medical Assistance. They also request a $15 donation for those able to make payment.
The clinic is open Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. and on the first and third Friday of each month (during the school year) from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Part of their grant includes assistance for other organizations interested in establishing volunteer clinics in their communities. For additional information, please contact:
Gina Nolte
(701) 364-5364
gnolte@rrdentalaccess.com or www.rrdentalaccess.com
The Good Samaritan Dental Clinic
1027 2nd Street Southwest
Rochester, Minnesota
The Good Samaritan Dental Clinic was established in August 2002. The clinic is supported by the Salvation Army and donations from the local community. The clinic provides services for residents of Olmsted County, including patients on Medical Assistance and Minnesota Care. They encourage appointments and accept walk-in patients. They provide pain control treatments and routine dental restorative services.
The clinic is open Monday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For additional information, please contact:
Maureen Johnson, RDH,
or Pam Lawrence, RDH
(507) 529-4100
maureenjohnson@usc.salvationarmy.org
The Lake Superior Community Dental Clinic
2101 Trinity Road
Duluth, Minnesota
The Lake Superior Community Dental Clinic was established in January 2003. The clinic is supported by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services and is located at Lake Superior College in the Dental Hygiene Clinic. They provide services for patients with Minnesota Care only. They accept appointments, and walk-in patients are discouraged. They provide routine restorative and extraction services.
The clinic is open on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. For additional information, please contact:
Cindy Upton
(218) 733-5939
c.upton@LSC.MNSCU.edu
Donated Dental Services
Donated Dental Services (DDS) was established in July 2003. This program operates through the volunteers’ own private practice office, or, occasionally, through clinics. The program has been successful in 34 states throughout the country and provides an opportunity to volunteer for dentists who prefer to work in their own offices and with their own staffs. The program is focused primarily on people with disabilities, seniors, and medically compromised people who lack the financial resources to pay for the needed care. When a volunteer dentist volunteers for the DDS program, he or she will be contacted periodically when a patient in need is identified and screened for eligibility.
The provider has the option of seeing the patient for an initial examination, or, if the provider is unable at that time, he or she has the option of declining. After the initial exam, the provider decides whether or not to accept the patient and provide the needed treatment. The volunteers’ names are kept confidential, except for occasional listing in Minnesota Dental Association publications. The program provides an opportunity for all those who wish to volunteer in an anonymous way.
The advantage of this system is that it provides an opportunity for all dentists throughout the state to participate. It also has the advantage of tabulating the volunteer activity and care provided so the care can be documented to show the contribution being made by the dental profession in general.
Currently there are 138 volunteer dentists participating statewide, 57 patients who are in active treatment, and 46 persons who have recently completed treatment through the program. With 154 people currently waiting for care, the program is accepting new volunteers and has a target goal of 300 volunteers in the first year. The program needs volunteers throughout the state, and especially in Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, and Dakota counties. For additional information, please contact:
Molly Schuneman
(651) 454-6290 or
1-866-242-6290
mschuneman@NFDH.org
Conclusion
All of the clinics mentioned are in need of volunteers. Dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants are all encouraged to contact any of the clinics to volunteer and become a part of a program that can make a real difference in someone else’s life. We are all extremely fortunate to be able to practice in the great state of Minnesota. Hopefully each one of us can make time to volunteer and participate in one of these programs that are making a valuable contribution to their local communities. Please give it your careful consideration. It can change the way you look at the world. I know it has for me.
