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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.
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Dental Clinic VolunteerVolunteers & 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...Judy Farewell
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.Shelley TCDAN

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.
     
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  Olympia Union Gospel Mission   413 Franklin Street, NE    Olympia,  WA    360 . 709 . 9725    OUGM@Reachone.com  
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