From Hands to mouth
Society plans to offer dental service with low-cost, no-cost care
Kelowna will get its first mobile dental clinic when Hands in Service puts a $350,000 van on the road in March to serve low-income clients.
“Most of the people we will be helping out haven’t been to the dentist in years because they can’t afford it,” said Hands in Service executive director Patricia Goertzen. “What we’re planning is to do no-cost treatments two days a week and two more days a week of low-cost treatments for people that can afford something.”
No-cost means exactly that. The patient would receive the dental work for free.
Low-cost has yet to be fully figured out, but Goertzen expects it might be $100 for a cleaning, which is about half the price dentists regularly charge.
Hands in Service, a non-profit that also provides home cleaning, laundry, food preparation and food hamper delivery to those in need with health issues or disabilities, has been working on developing a mobile dental van service for the past three years.
The pivotal piece fell into place Monday when the provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced Hands in Service is receiving capital project funding of $175,000.
Hands in Service has been fundraising for the past couple of years and has $140,000 of the $175,000 required to match the provincial money.
Hands in Service is buying a used van from Vancouver for $80,000 and retrofitting it with three dental stations and equipment worth more than $250,000.
Two dental hygienists will be hired to provide cleanings and education for clients.
The non-profit also hopes to find eight dentists who are willing to volunteer their services one day a month.
That would mean a dentist would be at the mobile clinic two days a week.
Presumably, the van could drive right to a client’s home and provide access for the disabled.
Hands in Service will co-ordinate its mobile dental service with the emergency dental services the Kelowna Gospel Mission offers so there is no overlap.
Before the mobile van is up and running, Hands in Service is making its dental hygienists available to the Kelowna Gospel Mission.
While Hands for Service is a faith-based, non-profit that receives funding from five churches (Evangel, Bethel, Grace Lutheran, St. David’s Presbyterian and Westbank United), most of its clients are people outside church culture who have no family, friends or finances to help.
Other Hands in Service sponsors include Telus, the province, City of Kelowna, Rotary Club of Kelowna, Central Okanagan Foundation, First West Foundation and United Way.
Hands in Service will put together 90 Christmas hampers for clients. Hands in Service also delivers food hampers from the Central Okanagan Community Food Bank to 200 of its clients a month who are physically unable to come to the food bank.
Hands in Service’s Touch of Christmas is Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at New Life Centre at 2041 Harvey Ave. with 83 vendors and crafters selling gifts, decorations and food.
In 2015, Hands in Service won volunteer organization of the year at the Kelowna Civic Awards.