NEWS

Free dental clinic continues Saturday at Chemeketa

Kaellen Hessel, and Stefanie Knowlton
Statesman Journal
Hundreds of people waited in line for up to 24 hours to receive free dental care at the Mission of Mercy dental clinic set up at Chemeketa Community College.

College students, full-time workers, retired adults, children and people struggling to find jobs lined up for free dental care Friday at a massive two-day clinic that continues today.

Mission of Mercy holds the clinic once a year in Oregon, treating up to 2,000 patients in two days, and this year it came to Salem for the first time. Hundreds of volunteers filled cavities, pulled diseased teeth, handed out toothbrushes and restored smiles Friday, and they will do it again today at Chemeketa Community College. They're still accepting patients and volunteers.

Salem resident Paula Perez and her husband Josue arrived at 4:15 a.m. Friday with their two-year-old son Leonardo. They were among the hundreds of people who streamed through the clinic on its first day.

Perez noticed little spots on her son's teeth in February that turned into little holes. She helplessly watched the holes get bigger. The family has medical insurance through an employer, but they have to wait until next year or a "life-changing" event to get dental coverage for their son.

"They get bigger and bigger and bigger," she said about the cavities. "You can't wait."

They're grateful for the free clinic. No one cares if you have insurance, how much you make or why you can't afford dental care. They just help.

More than 400 people were slated for treatment by 8:30 a.m. Friday with about 100 others waiting in line outside. Some patients who received treatment got back in line to take care of additional needs. Several drove from as far away as Washington to get free dental work.

"There's a huge need if people are making those huge treks just to get services," said volunteer Brenda Kidder.

Members of local churches handed out snacks, water and coffee to those in line starting at 3 a.m. When the clinic opened volunteers escorted patients to the X-ray lab, formerly racket ball courts, the surgery department in the health sciences building or the main gym floor where volunteer dental professionals took impressions, filled teeth and performed root canals. Kid town, a group of dental vans outside, helped kids and families.

One of the biggest needs was tooth removal because the decay was so advanced that the tooth or teeth could not be saved. Elizabeth Maes, 76, was getting a tooth removed that had already broken into pieces. She knows she needed it done, she said, but she couldn't afford the cost on her fixed income and no one would take payments.

"I was able to fix my teeth when I was working." she said. "Thank God there is help somewhere."

sknowlto@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6735

Free dental care

Mission of Mercy volunteers will offer free dental care including cleanings, fillings, extractions, x-rays and a limited number of partial dentures 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Chemeketa Community College, Building 7, 4000 Lancaster Drive NE, Salem. Doors open at 4 a.m. and patients are screened on a first-come-first-served basis. For more information go to www.oregondental.org and click on low-cost dental clinics.

UPDATE at 7:30 a.m.

Organizers put out the call for additional volunteers capable of translating Spanish or Russian for patients. Interested individuals can drop by at the front sign-in area.

UPDATE at 5:15 a.m.

The sun rose this morning to a line stretching across the east side of the Chemeketa Community College campus. More than 300 individuals waited in line, some overnight, for the opportunity of free dental care.

The doors opened at 4:00 a.m. to begin processing and assessing needs of patients.

Christina Swartz with the Oregon Dental Association welcomed any additional volunteers for the many tasks ahead for the two-day program.

"We just ask they be flexible, step up and help where we have need," Swartz said.

Volunteers with Salem Leadership Foundation handed out drinks to those waiting in line.

Inside the college volunteers shuttled patients between stations during the check-in process which includes a brief medical assessment and an education component.

Swartz said after the first hour they will decide when a potential cutoff time for taking new patients during the first day.

The program continues tomorrow with doors opening again at 4:00 a.m.

— David Davis

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A line of several dozen people stretched out the door, along the side of a tennis court and around the corner. Tents were popped up, umbrellas blocked the setting sun and sleeping bags were unrolled.

They weren't outside a theater waiting for the newest summer blockbuster to begin. They were waiting for something much more important -- free dental care.

Oregon Mission of Mercy's fifth annual dental clinic comes to Chemeketa Community College this weekend. Cleanings, filings, extractions and limited treatment partials are being offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

The clinic's doors open at 4 a.m. Friday, but patients were already camping out by 7 a.m. the day before.

This is the first time the two-day clinic has popped up in Salem and been offered in the summer.

RELATED STORY: Patients wait for Mission of Mercy's free dental care

Weston Heringer, Jr. talks with a couple in line outside the Mission of Mercy free dental clinic, Thursday, July 10, 2014.

Weston Heringer Jr., one of the clinic's leaders, said he couldn't predict how many they'd likely have but thought the evening's line was on par with other years. Last time, the clinic was offered in Portland in November so there was a larger population to serve but the cold may have kept a good number of them away, he said.

The organization is trying to keep the waiting patients as comfortable as possible. A few tents and portable toilets have been set up. Starting at 2 a.m., church groups will be coming every two hours to pass out snacks and water, Heringer said.

The group tries to be as open with the patients as they can, letting them know where in the line the cutoff point for services will likely be, said said Christina Swartz with the Oregon Dental Association.

"Just come as early as you can," she said.

Be patient and they'll try to get you some service, Heringer said.

Volunteers are still be accepted so that the group can serve more patients, Swartz said. Volunteers of all skill levels are needed.