Peoria IL Area colleges give free dental screenings to disabled : Nov 9, 2011

Residents of New Hope supportive housing apartments treated to 'Dental Day'

PEORIA, IL — Maggie Heath was initially a little embarrassed about seeing the dentist. She suspected other residents at New Hope Apartments might shy from seeing a dentist also and turnout for "Dental Day" might be low.

By the time her exam was over, she was hugging Dr. Sue Bishop, director of the Peoria City/County Health Department's dental clinic.

"She gave me hope," said Heath, president of New Hope's resident council, after learning from Bishop that there are options, though limited, for people like her with no dental insurance. Even better, Bishop told her she wouldn't need to have all of her teeth extracted.

{photo: New Hope Apartments resident Andrew Kahl, 20, opens wide for Lynn Mauer, an instructor in Illinois Central College's dental hygiene program, as she examines his teeth Tuesday during a morning-long program of free dental screenings for the residents. In the background, Kim Ritchhart, left, another instructor, takes notes on Mauer's examination and Chelsea Robinson, a Methodist College of Nursing student, watches the procedure. New Hope Apartments offers supportive housing for people with physical and mental disabilities (DAVID ZALAZNIK/JOURNAL STAR)}

About 15 people attended Dental Day on Tuesday at the supportive housing complex for people with mental and/or physical disabilities - more than Heath or organizers expected. Participants received screenings, exams, education and free dental care products.

Dental Day was the brainchild of Samantha Peters, a senior in Methodist College of Nursing Program, who is in a community nursing class that visits New Hope once a week. The nursing students typically check residents' weight and blood pressure. But many of the residents had been homeless at one time and hadn't seen a dentist in years.

"We might see ten people on a good day," Peters said of the weekly clinics. "So this is more than we anticipated."

Though Dental Day was officially a collaboration of the college of nursing, Peoria City/County Health Department's dental clinic and Illinois Central College's Dental Hygiene Program, it also was a collaboration that benefited students.

Lynn Mauer, an instructor in the ICC program, said Dental Day was a "marriage made in heaven" for the dental hygiene program.

ICC has offered a dental clinic for years. Dental hygiene students get practical experience while people lucky enough to get an appointment get basic dental care at extremely low costs. Appointments usually fill up two weeks after a semester begins. But with the semester almost over, the clinic still has openings.

"Honestly, that's why we're here," Mauer said, "trying to find appointments for our students."

Nursing students, with help from Bishop and ICC's dental hygiene program, gave residents referrals for treatment at the Health Department, the ICC program, the dental clinic at Heartland Community Health Clinic, and to two local dentists who accept patients on Medicaid.

There's not enough resources to meet the needs for dental care, Bishop said. But resources are even scarcer for people who have mental or physical disabilities.

"A dentist has to be knowledgeable about their special needs and how to handle their dental care," she said.

Information from pjstar.com | Peoria, IL: By PAM ADAMS Nov 9, 2011:
http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1222190249/Finding-hope-and-a-smile