Published January 31, 2020
A free dental clinic will be offered Feb. 7-8 at the Western State Bank Expo Center in Dodge City. During this two-day event, Kansas Mission of Mercy (KMOM) will provide cleanings, fillings and extractions, for both children and adults, at no charge.
“Dodge City last hosted KMOM in 2015,” said Crissa Salmans, Ford County RSVP director and member of the planning committee that is recruiting KMOM volunteers. “KMOM is a way for Dodge City to come together to help those who need their dental needs taken care of.”
Since no appointments are taken either day, people should be prepared to wait for several hours, Salmans said.
“Care is given on a first-come, first-served basis,” she said. “And patients come from all across Kansas, as well as Oklahoma, Nebraska and Colorado.”
DC3 Nursing Skills Lab Coordinator, Christy May, said she is excited that her students will once again have the opportunity to serve with the clinic.
“It was very rewarding to help out at the clinic in 2015. Our students took medical histories, checked blood pressure and blood glucose levels, and helped decide whether the patients met the criteria to be treated,” she said.
In addition to the practical experience the clinic provides her students, May said she also thinks the clinic gives them an opportunity to see other medical providers giving of themselves for the service of others.
“Without donations from communities across Kansas, and donated time and talent of dental providers who help with this each year, several of our community members wouldn’t be getting dental care at all,” May said.
In addition to free dental services, a biscuits and gravy breakfast and a hotdogs and chips lunch will be provided at no charge. However, patients are encouraged to bring their own snacks and water.
Registration opens at 5:30 a.m. each day. There is no eligibility, income, or residency requirements for patients, although they should bring a list of current medications, allergies, and health conditions with them. (No denture services are offered.)
KMOM, which is a project of the Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation (KDCF) and the Kansas Dental Association (KDA) Relief Fund, is an annual two-day event hosted in different locations around Kansas. Its free dental care is provided by volunteer dentists, dental hygienists, and assistants. To date, 29,685 patients have been served through KMOM.
By Lance Ziesch