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Free dental clinic seeking help from the community

Volunteers in Huntsville are making sure people get the dental treatment they need, but they need help from the community to expand.
FREE DENTAL CLINIC

Volunteers in Huntsville are making sure people get the dental treatment they need.

The Community Free Dental Clinic offers free dental help to low income adults in Madison County. Right now, they are working to expand but need help from the community.

The dental clinic relies on donations and volunteers to run.

They offer free tooth extractions and other dental care to people at poverty level. All the patients have to do is prove they’re uninsured and live in Madison County. They opened 5 years ago and have treated almost 8,000 people.

The Community Free Dental Clinic Executive Director, Julia Nabors, said, “We see a lot of people with poor dental health, a lot of people who are awaiting cancer treatment that they can’t have until they’ve gotten their mouth infection free, a lot of people awaiting organ transplants or just a knee replacement that need to just get one tooth taken out.”

All the workers, including the dentists, are volunteers. Much of the time, they have to turn people away if a dentist doesn’t have time to come in.

Dental Clinic Volunteer, Carolyn Coleman, said, “They come in and maybe you can’t help everyone because maybe they don’t meet the threshold or can’t prove that they don’t have any money, or we don’t have enough doctors. You know, the doctors are volunteering, too. It’s not like an 8 to 5 with doctors.”

They are working to buy the building they are in to cut out their rent cost. They say they hope to eventually hire a dentist. For now, they are asking for more volunteers to give some of their time.

“We need clerical help. We need nurses, dental assistants, hygienists, dentists. We are always looking for grant writers or fundraisers or anyone that wants to come and help,” said Nabors.

You can drop donations at their office located at 2341 Whitesburg Dr, Huntsville, AL 35801 or click here to donate.​​​​​​​

 

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