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Missions of Mercy
It is estimated that one in five Virginians lives in an underserved area. Individuals in these areas — primarily the working poor, elderly, underinsured or uninsured — are often left without dental care. In response to the lack of access to care and resulting poor oral health of thousands of needy Virginians, the Virginia Dental Health Foundation, an affiliate of the Virginia Dental Association, partnered with the VCU School of Dentistry and its faculty, students and alumni to launch Missions of Mercy, which made caring visible.
MOM projects are conducted in identified underserved areas of the state where there are not enough dental practitioners to adequately address the oral health needs of the community, including areas of Wise County, Annandale and the Eastern Shore. Any individual who shows up is considered eligible for care. Shuttle transportation for patients, if needed, is arranged through community partnerships.
Based on conservative estimates, more than 6,000 patients have been provided with more than $2.1 million of free dental care. Virginia’s MOM projects have broken records for the largest two- and three-day dental outreach clinics ever conducted in the U.S.
Get involved
To support this program or get involved as a volunteer, contact Carol Brooks at cnbrooks@vcu.edu.