Grace Health developed a Mobile Dental Program to provide improved access to oral health services to our community’s most vulnerable residents, including school-aged children and homeless individuals. This program is made possible through support from W.K. Kellogg Foundation and will operate out of a mobile unit that can be taken to schools, various shelters, community events, low-income areas, and childcare centers – meeting community members where they are. The Mobile Dental Program will allow Grace Health to meet the immediate need for oral health services, especially for our most vulnerable community members and connect people to a dental home and/or medical home if needed.
Grace Health’s Portable Dental Program previously provided dental services within the community, however, post-COVID, many locations struggled to find space for Grace Health to work within their facilities to provide needed dental care. As a result, the number of people receiving dental services at community locations was limited. Grace Health’s mobile dental unit has two dental chairs, allowing additional patients to be seen when at a community site. Services provided on the unit by Grace Health’s dental hygienist include an oral assessment and preventative services like cleanings, sealants, fluoride application, and applying silver diamine fluoride (SDF) as necessary. With the mobile unit, Grace Health can now provide dental care at any site without needing space within a facility and can expand services to special populations, such as homeless individuals, refugees, and migrant workers. The mobile dental unit is scheduled to visit all schools in Calhoun County during the school year.
To learn more about Grace Health and the services provided, visit the website at www.gracehealthmi.org.