It's
hard to imagine
living with the pain
of an abscessed tooth for a month or more because you can't afford a
trip to the dentist. And even more unlikely to imagine how a trip to
the dentist might lead to someone's salvation. But when a dentist
eliminates dental pain, hope and confidence
return, creating an open door for the gospel message.
The clinic is funded by generous donations from individuals,
churches and companies, and through corporate and foundation grants;
however, the needs
are ongoing, so please consider becoming a regular donor to the
Mission and keep no-fee care coming for those who would otherwise go
without.
Since 2003, the Olympia Union Gospel Mission No-Fee Dental
Clinic has been staffed by volunteer dental professionals. Now
serving over 2,000 patients a year, the clinic provides
emergency services to Thurston County residents
living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level who have no dental
insurance or alternate means to pay for care.
To make an appointment, call the
Dental Line at 360-943-6400. Hablamos Español
Volunteers & Needs If you are a currently licensed dentist, hygienist, or dental assistant,
please call the clinic for more information - contact Linda Barrett
at (360) 943-6400.
Dentists can also help by supplying: Lidocaine, protection barriers
for chairs, sterilization bags, x-ray film and bibs, adult size
toothbrushes, Biotene mouthwash, take-home fluoride treatments, “Prevedent”,
small size ACT Fluoride, adult extraction instruments. The clinic is
also in need of educational and Christian videos for the clinic
waiting room.
To help with any of these needs, contact Linda Barrett at (360)
943-6400.
THURSTON COUNTY DENTAL ACCESS NETWORK Update...
In May, the Mission had to say goodbye to TCDAN Coordinator Judy
Cunningham (pictured in the center with Linda Barrett, Clinic
Manager on the left and Audrey Whittington, Dental Receptionist,
on the right) who returned to her home community of Centralia to
resume work in a private dental practice. All staff members will
greatly miss Judy, but are looking forward to working with her
replacement, Shelley Case, who joined us at the end of May.
Shelley comes to the Mission with 20 years of experience as
a dental assistant, most recently for an endodontist in Gig
Harbor, WA. So how did Shelley find us? She said it was
definitely a “God thing”.
“I was on the internet looking
for a job for my husband and stumbled upon the job opening here.
I clearly heard God’s voice saying “this is it”-I’d been wanting
and praying for a change for a long time, but nothing had come
up. I immediately made a call to Skip, but got his voice mail. I
left him a long message saying how much I wanted this job. When
I hung up, I thought, “I’m pregnant, no one is going to hire
me,” she said.
You see, on her 40th birthday, Shelley
received an extra gift. A little boy named Cooper is expected in
about 3 months. She gives the credit for the surprise to her
seven year old daughter who prayed diligently for a brother.
Cooper will be born into a family with three girls, so mom
should have lots of help.
After her phone message, Dental
Clinic Manager Linda Barrett gave Shelley a call: they talked,
she interviewed and was hired. “I really believe this is
where God wants me to be-I had no doubts and no hesitations
about leaving where I was to come to the Mission, which is
unusual when changing jobs,” said Shelley.
Now that she’s here, Shelley says she feels at home and
things are going smoothly, but it really is different from what
she’s used to. “It’s a big change for me. This is more of
a triage situation. I come from a high end specialty office
where paying for services was not an issue for patients. I’m
helping a different population here, and their needs are all
different.”
She cites the example of one man who was a
“down on his luck” construction worker with beautiful teeth;
then she worked on a homeless alcoholic suffering from
withdrawals. “But he was so appreciative and couldn’t believe
how nice we were being to him,” she said.
For Shelley,
the best thing about the job change is that now she feels free
to express her faith in God. “Here I can express my love
for the Lord as much as I want”.
So far, things are going
well with the dentists as they adapt to a new assistant, but for
her, trying to remember all of the special needs of each dentist
is challenging because so many are volunteering. “They are
all so different and like different things,” she said.
Shelley will take six weeks off when Cooper is born, but until
then, will keep herself busy learning all about her dentists and
coordinating patients to see non-clinic dentists in their
private offices through the TCDAN program. If you visit the
Mission, don’t forget to stop and welcome Shelley. We know
you’ll like her as much as we do.
It's
hard to imagine
living with the pain
of an abscessed tooth for a month or more because you can't afford a
trip to the dentist. And even more unlikely to imagine how a trip to
the dentist might lead to someone's salvation. But when a dentist
eliminates dental pain, hope and confidence
return, creating an open door for the gospel message. 
Volunteers & Needs
