College of Dentistry H.O.M.E Coach and Local Alumnus Provide
"Dentistry from the Heart"
Dentistry’s "H.O.M.E. Coach" mobile dental clinic
recently
partnered with Dr. Brian Kvitko,
a local dentist and OSU alumnus, to host “Dentistry from the Heart,”
an event offering free dental services to those in need in the
Columbus community.
Working with Dr.
Kvitko, the
Health Outreach Mobile Experience (H.O.M.E.) Coach staff
helped provide some 357
patients with dental cleanings and other services. As one of the college's most
successful outreach initiatives, the H.O.M.E. Coach provides oral health care and
education to underserved children in Columbus and surrounding
communities. The Coach is staffed by faculty-supervised senior dental students
and dental assistants, and it serves approximately 2,000 children in
Franklin County annually.
Commenting on the
Coach's participation in the Dentistry from the Heart event,
College of Dentistry professor and Director of the Office of
Community Education Canise Bean said,
“This is a tremendous outreach effort and I commend Dr. Kvitko for organizing the event."
She added, "We in the Office of Community Education are passionate about increasing access to care for underserved
populations. The Dental H.O.M.E. Coach staff members are pleased that we
were able to participate.”
The event was
inspired by the national non-profit organization,
Dentistry from
the Heart, which is dedicated to providing free
dental care to those in need. The program's success comes from dental
practitioners across the country who donate time and
resources to host their own events. Last year, there were more than
250 Dentistry from the Heart events nationwide that served
about 30,000 patients.
“It seems like
the right thing to do,” Dr. Kvitko said. “So many people are struggling
right now, and dental insurance doesn’t go far enough. As a dentist,
it seems like the best thing I can do to help is to provide dentistry for those
who need it -- especially the kids.”
Among
the 100-plus volunteers at the event were these local dentists who
donated their time and expertise: Dr. Don Metnes;
Dr. Martin Hertzel; Dr. Justin Beck; Dr.
William Thompson; Dr. Robert Stevenson; Dr. Ron Katyal; Dr. Aparna Sadineni; Dr. Vincent Lombardo; Dr. Sahar Hamzeh; Dr. Rupinder Kaur;
Dr. Leslie McDougall; Dr. Canise Bean, and Dr. Carey Collins.
Special thanks to all who
participated in this worthwhile event.
[June 2011]
