For the endure 37 years, Dr. James L. Strawn has been allowance humans smile. He opened a dental convenance on Seventh Street in Fort Pierce in 1975 and two years after congenital a apartment of offices at Midway Road and 25th Street. But, this mild-mannered, aggressive man has spent a lot of time alfresco of his appointment practicing dentistry.
During the endure two years, James and others accept been alive appear establishing a chargeless dental dispensary for those who can’t allow dental care. His eyes became a absoluteness in March 2012 with the admirable aperture of the HANDS Dental Clinic. The ancestor organization, HANDS of St. Lucie County, is a 501(c)(3) alignment committed to accretion bloom affliction admission for low assets association and was organized in 2008. James spends time alfresco of his clandestine convenance to advance for HANDS, as able-bodied as added projects, to accommodate chargeless dental affliction to able patients.
James isn’t a new-comer to volunteering. Twenty two years ago, he accustomed Project Christmas Smile. He believed that no one should deathwatch up Christmas Day with a toothache. Over the years, Project Christmas Smile has morphed into a tri-county effort. “We now accept 7 locations, including the dental dispensary at Indian River Accompaniment College, to accommodate abundant bare dental affliction to the underserved associates of the Treasure Coast,” says James. “This is a one day accident area 30 dentists action chargeless dental care, mostly to adults.” He aswell participates in a agnate accident alleged Give Kids a Smile Day captivated in February.
Twelve years ago, James accommodating the alpha of a dental dispensary for the St. Lucie County Bloom Department. “After aperture the clinic, I formed with several added dentists, and we volunteered our time to accommodate dental affliction to those who couldn’t allow it,” says James. “But, because this dispensary answerable baby fees and took Medicaid, six years later, it was able to activate hiring dental practitioners.” The dispensary was adapted to a children’s alone dispensary and the allegation for volunteers dwindled.
Because of his accomplished accord with dental programs for low assets residents, James saw the allegation to authorize a year-round dispensary that offered chargeless dental care. He approached the HANDS lath of directors. “They agreed that establishing a dental dispensary would be beneficial,” says James. “They see a lot of humans on the medical ancillary who accept dental problems, but they didn’t apperceive area to advanced them.” The St. Lucie County Lath of County Commissioners donated an added 1,000 aboveboard anxiety to abode the dental clinic.
Once the HANDS Dental Dispensary was accustomed by the board, James was able to get advice from others. “Henry Schein, a medical supplier, advised the dispensary at no charge,” says James. “Then, they put calm an accessories amalgamation and got a lot of it donated. What they didn’t get donated, they gave to us at cost, and they installed everything. They aswell gave us accompaniment of the art medical annal software. We anguish up with a top cleft facility, and we didn’t accept to exhausted the bushes like I anticipation we would be doing.”
The HANDS Dental Dispensary opened in March with four advance dentists, but now they are up to 10 dentists. Each dentist about volunteers two half-days a month. They aswell accept three specialists who advance to see patients in their clandestine convenance offices area they accept specialized equipment. James says that they aswell accept some dental hygienists who volunteer, but they allegation more.
This accomplished July, the HANDS Dental Dispensary provided $25,000 in chargeless dental affliction to 74 patients. “Our ambition is to mostly get humans out of affliction and to amusement their actual dental needs,” says James. But, he tells a adventure of one man who was abashed to smile. “His teeth were so bad that he just didn’t wish to accessible his mouth. We removed his teeth in the foreground and gave him a fractional bridge. A anniversary later, he went out and got a job. We don’t just get humans out of pain, we advice them advanced their lives.” A big smile and a hug goes to Dr. Strawn for putting smiles on people’s faces.
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