ADA News

Bloomington, Ill.—When the doors of the Interstate Center opened at 6 a.m. June 11, hundreds of dental patients had been in line for hours, hoping for the chance to receive free dental care. 

Filling a need: Volunteers work in the busy restorations area of the MOM event June 11. A total of 1,365 restorations were provided during the two-day event.

Some patients came early to this crossroads location in McLean County where three interstate highways intersect, sleeping overnight in their cars or even camping out on the grounds one or two days before.

The Illinois State Dental Society Foundation's Illinois Mission of Mercy event, the biggest first-time MOM held since they began in 2000, provided more than $1 million in free dental care June 11 and 12 at Bloomington's vast multipurpose banquet and conference center.

It offered a high-visibility opportunity for Illinois dentists to educate legislators and policymakers about the need to improve access to critical dental procedures for millions of Illinois families who go without care.

In all, 1,953 patients—most of them adults and 40 percent of them who arrived for the clinic with dental pain, received free dental care services, including cleanings, topical fluoride treatments, sealants, fillings, extractions, root canals, lab work, and antibiotic and pain medications.

Dental legislation: Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, seated, signs House Bill 5859 at the MOM event June 12. Also attending the signing are, from left, State Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez; State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson; Dr. Brad Barnes, MOM co-chair; Dr. Bob Bitter, ISDS vice president; Dr. Larry Osborne, ISDS president; Dr. Brian Soltys, ISDS secretary; Dr. Mark Humenik, MOM co-chair; Dr. Darryll Beard, ISDS president-elect; State Rep. Dr. David Miller; and State Rep. Dan Brady.

In exit interviews, more than half of the patients treated had not seen a dentist in two years, and 76 percent said they hadn't visited a dentist recently because they couldn’t afford it. Most patients traveled a half hour or less to reach the Interstate Center, although a handful reported traveling two to four hours or more for the free dental clinic.

"It couldn’t have gone any better," said Greg Johnson, ISDS executive director. "We were able to help a lot of people as well as bring visibility to the needs of our citizens."

While visiting the MOM clinic June 12, Gov. Pat Quinn signed House Bill 5859. The bill, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2011, allows licensed dentists to provide volunteer care through a nonprofit health clinic, which can then receive payments from the state. The payments will help the clinics cover the costs of dental equipment and supplies. Under current law, free and low-cost health clinics cannot be reimbursed for volunteer care provided by a dentist, unless the dentist is personally enrolled as a Medicaid provider.

"Keeping Illinois' families healthy is one of the most important duties I have as governor, and dental problems can lead to serious health issues," said Gov. Quinn. "I am proud to sign this legislation to help more families see a dentist and get the care they need to stay healthy."

Gov. Quinn’s rival, Republican gubernatorial candidate State Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, and several other state and local lawmakers and candidates also attended the MOM.

Pain relief: Dr. Thomas E. Sullivan, ADA first vice president and volunteer dentist from Westchester, Ill., assisted by Michelle Schaffer, provides care to a patient in the MOM extractions area June 11.

"This (volunteering) is what dentists do every day in their offices," added Mr. Johnson. "But it's too bad we have to. This is why it's important to show legislators what needs to be done to help citizens who need dental care."

Dr. Brad Barnes of Bloomington and Dr. Mark Humenik of Northbrook, Ill., co-chairs for the Illinois MOM, had investigated the possibility of bringing a MOM event to the state and found that there was a definite need and sufficient support to launch the program here. Eighteen months ago, they began laying the groundwork for the event—including soliciting more than $175,000 in funding and in-kind donations to cover the costs of materials, equipment use and other expenses, recruiting and organizing volunteers, and training volunteers to fill key leadership positions for the mammoth dental clinic. The Illinois MOM committee also worked with the America's Dentists Care Foundation, the Wichita, Kan.-based organization that has transported semi tractor trailer trucks filled with portable dental equipment to more than 50 MOM events in 14 states nationwide and is an ADA Foundation Give Kids A Smile Program Champion.

"Our community has really embraced this," said Dr. Barnes. "We are so appreciative of the support we've received, from donations of supplies and equipment from dental companies to the 600 sandwiches McDonalds donated for our volunteers' lunch today."

Mid-morning: Patients who checked in early in the morning June 11 at the Illinois Mission of Mercy event wait in the patient waiting area of the Interstate Center for their turn to see a dentist.

"Since we started considering bringing a MOM event to Illinois, we've also been doing on-the-job research by attending MOM events in other states, both as volunteers and observers, to see how things work," said Dr. Humenik. "I've done six mission trips to Mexico, but this is like a mission trip on steroids. We're not worrying about our numbers, but it looks like we are doing big numbers and that's pretty rewarding."

More than 1,000 dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, dental laboratory technicians and others volunteered for the event, including Dr. Thomas E. Sullivan, ADA first vice president and a general dentist in Westchester, Ill.

"This is phenomenal," said Dr. Sullivan. "To see the collaboration between dentists and staff from across the state, plus support from volunteers who've come from as far away as Connecticut, and even several ADA staff members from Chicago—that's the beauty of the whole event."

Dr. Lew Lampiris, director, ADA Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations and former Illinois State Dental Director, described his experience as a volunteer as "transformational."

Busy: Dr. Norbert Voit of Chicago, assisted by Nicole Stoufflet, manager, Health Education at the ADA, provides treatment in the fillings department of the MOM event June 11.

"The MOM event was an experience that helped break down the walls that sometimes exist between public health and private practice colleagues," said Dr. Lampiris. "Here we were, standing side by side, working together and doing what we've been trained to do, provide necessary dental care to those in greatest need."

"I feel like I'm making a mission trip right here in my home base," said Kevin Beadle, a dental laboratory technician who was making temporary treatment partials for patients missing teeth. "It's a wonderful learning opportunity. It's great to be able to give back to my community, and I hope this is the first of many times I can do this."

Dr. Norbert Voit of Chicago volunteered at the MOM on June 11—at the same time the Chicago Blackhawks' Stanley Cup celebration parade was heading right past his downtown office windows.

"I would so much rather be here, doing what I'm doing even though the parade is pretty exciting," he said. "This is such an amazing event. There's such good energy here. I'm working side by side with lots of nice people, and the patients are so appreciative."

Cleanings: Every one of the 1,953 patients who participated in the MOM event had the option of getting dental hygiene services. More than 500 cleanings and 500 topical fluoride applications were done, sealants were applied to 147 teeth and 375 patients received oral hygiene instruction.

Tracy Connors, an administrative coordinator for America's Dentists Care Foundation from Neodesha, Kan., said this event was her 20th MOM. As a dental assistant, she and her dentist employer drove six hours in a snowstorm to volunteer at a MOM event in Garden City, Kan., and then treated patients at the Kansas Speedway in August.

"After that, I wanted to get even more involved," Ms. Connors said. "After three projects, I thought 'This is my baby,' and I eventually ended up taking a job that would keep me doing this. I learn something at every MOM I attend and it's very humbling to talk to the patients waiting in line and then see them again later when they are done with their treatment. They always have hugs and smiles and that means everything to me. That's why I do it. I can't wait for the next one to happen."

Just as at many other MOM events, some patients slept in their cars overnight before the doors opened and a few even pitched tents on one or two days before to make sure they were among the first in line for desperately needed care and pain relief. By 6 a.m. both mornings, hundreds of patients were already in line.

Traveling lab: Kevin Beadle of Bloomington, Ill., makes a temporary treatment partial for a MOM patient at the Interstate Center.

Sarah Eastman from Goodfield, Ill.—about 30 minutes away—arrived at the clinic at 5:30 a.m. with her young sons to wait in line for treatment. At 11:30 a.m., she was in a dental chair getting three fillings as 3-year-old Aaron snuggled asleep on her lap and 5-year-old Levi sat in a chair next to them. Aaron had already experienced his first-ever dental cleaning, and Levi had received two fillings and two extractions.

"This means everything to us," said Ms. Eastman. "I already maxed out my credit card getting root canals. If it weren't for this, we wouldn't be able to get this treatment. I heard about this a month ago and decided we would come."

Supporting the MOM were nine major contributors: America's Dentists Care Foundation, Delta Dental of Illinois, Chicago Dental Society Foundation, Interstate Center, Patterson Dental, Illinois State Dental Society Foundation, DentaQuest, Dentsply, and Downstate Society Caucus. Nearly 100 other supporters included dental companies, community organizations, local businesses and local dentists.