March 25, 2011
St. Mary’s Mobile Dental Clinic receives funds for software
St. Mary’s Mobile Dental Care for Kids is one of five winning mobile dental clinics to be awarded project funding from Tom’s of Maine’s 2011 Dental Health for All™ (DHFA) program.
Determined by public vote, St. Mary’s and four other 501(c)3 non-profit clinics in good standing will split $100,000 to grow and support mobile programs that offer critical, easy-to-access dental care in local communities. This year’s DHFA program focused solely on expanding dental clinics in the field so they can bring “goodness on the go” to those unable to afford an exam or coverage.
“Funding from the Tom’s of Maine grant will allow us to fully connect dental records between multiple dental treatment locations in the community,” said Timothy Flesch, President and CEO for St. Mary’s Health System. “This capability will allow us to better serve our children and families with greater efficiency and quality.”
St. Mary’s Mobile Dental Care for Kids plans to use the funding to purchase dental software necessary to expand its mobile services and link its four portable dental stations to the Mobile Dental Clinic software for its school-based health clinics, which would allow the Mobile Dental Clinic to serve more counties in the area.
St. Mary’s Mobile Dental Care for Kids, celebrating ten years of service, was created to serve the children of the Evansville community who are without “dental homes.”
St. Mary’s Mobile Dental Care for Kids had 3,048 patient contacts in 2010. Procedures performed at the mobile clinic include: X-Rays, exams, teeth cleanings, sealants, crowns and extractions. St. Mary’s staff works with other local dental providers to perform additional procedures when necessary.
Other winning mobile dental clinics include Children’s Hospital Tooth Bus in New Orleans, Louisiana; Kids In Need of Dentistry (KIND) in Denver, Colorado; St. Joseph Health System — Sonoma County Cultivating Health Mobile Dental Clinic in Santa Rosa, California and St. Luke’s Hospital and Health Network in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.