Lawton Clinic Adds Free Dental Care

LAWTON CLINIC ADDS FREE DENTAL CARE TO ITS LIST OF SERVICES

By: Stacy Yates, ODA Director of Communications and Education

On Thursday, October 8th, at 4:00 p.m. Hearts That Care in Lawton, OK hosted a ribbon cutting followed by a live and silent auction to unveil their new facility at 1313 W. Gore. In addition to moving to a larger building, free dental care has been added to the list of services patients will be able to receive while visiting the center.

For more than fifteen years, Hearts That Care has been serving the Lawton/ Fort Sill community by providing free medical care to individuals ages 19-64, at or below the 200% national poverty level, and who do not have health insurance. After many years of planning, strategic partnerships and securing the necessary monetary donations the organization is excited to be adding free dental care to its list of services. The hope is to add free eye care in the near future. After retiring, oral surgeon Dr. David Lindley offered his office to be renovated for the new clinic which allows for additional space to meet the needs of even more patients. Hearts That Care is a nonprofit run entirely by volunteers. The clinic is open the first and third Thursday of every month for medical care and beginning October 22nd will be open the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of every month for dental care.

“The community we serve is too old for Medicaid and too young for Medicare,” said Dr. Todd Bridges, Dental Director, and board member at Hearts That Care. “Oral health care is vital care. It is as important as having regular cholesterol, blood pressure and other health and wellness checks. By adding free dental care to the list of services at Hearts That Care we are meeting a critical need within our community and are able to ensure patients are receiving comprehensive care during their visit.”

The clinic has secured the facility and some equipment but is still in need of funding for the day-to-day expenses that come with treating patients. This includes obtaining the necessary supplies like PPE, gauze, pharmaceuticals, dental composite, and countless other items necessary to meet the medical and dental needs of patients. If you would like to help support the mission of Hearts That Care please visit facebook.com/HeartsThatCareLawtonOk, email htcvhc.lawton.ok@gmail.com, or call 580-354-9007.

Attending the grand opening were ODA members: [l-r] Drs. Wayne Littlefield, Paul Wood, Paul Mullaseril, Juan Lopez, Shannon Griffin, ODA Executive Director Lynn Means, and Todd Bridges.

"By adding free dental care to the list of services at Hearts That Care we are meeting a critical need within our community and are able to ensure patients are receiving comprehensive care during their visit"