by Donna Clark RN, Director
Just as July 1st marks the beginning of the church’s fiscal year it is the beginning of our fiscal year. We were blessed with a great deal of grant money for adult dental care during 2016/2017 allowing us to serve 136 different people with 158 appointments. As I gathered data for the grant reports I was amazed at what God allowed us to do with the money. During those appointments we paid for : 53 Initial exams, 18 Surgical Consultations, 48 x-rays (Bite Wings), 15 panoramic x-rays, 25 cleanings, 18 surgical consultations, 268 extractions, 36 surgical extractions, two oral biopsies, four full mouth debridements, 177 fillings, Perio Scaling of 32 quadrants, three crowns with buildup, and six root canals. Collaborating dentists provided 18 extractions, 1 Alveloplasty, and 10 fillings pro bono. The total cost of the program was $49,331 (average $362 per person).
PRMC ED reported that in CY 2015 they had a total of 2,150 dental related visits at a cost of $315,525. From November 2016 until June, 27, 2017 they had 1229 dental related visits at a cost of $279,376. Although these numbers reflect only 8 months this is 821 (38%) fewer people seeking emergency dental care and costing the hospital ED $36,149 less than previous year. We feel we have made a significant impact of the dental health of the community we serve.
The grant money has been used up and we are waiting to hear about another grant. The Parson’s Foundation here in Salisbury continues to provide funding for people over the age of 60 and living in Wicomico County. As we see our seniors obtain relief from painful teeth we feel it is a blessing to be able to help people’s lives improve.
Proverbs 21:13
H.O.P.E. 