Putnam Superintendent of Schools John Hudson and FamilyCare President Craig Glover conduct ribbon cutting for “Miles of Smiles” dental unit.
FamilyCare unveiled its updated mobile dental unit that will be used at area schools with a ribbon cutting ceremony at George Washington Elementary School in Eleanor on Friday, November 4. The new health center is open Monday-Friday during school hours for the students, faculty, and staff of selected schools on a rotating schedule.
“Students can leave from the school site right out to the mobile dental unit and then come back, so that keeps them in school with a very limited travel time,” said Putnam School Superintendent John Hudson. “Our families have that opportunity to sign up at the beginning of the year or any time throughout the year if they don’t have a dentist, or if they would like to have this dental care opportunity. It means a great deal to all of our schools and the students and their families.”
“By being on the campuses in our service areas, we are eliminating barriers to care for students and staff,” said Fran Coleman, senior VP and COO of FamilyCare. “We want to be able to provide accessible and affordable dental care and that’s what this opportunity is allowing us to do.”
The mobile unit, known as the Miles of Smiles unit, is a school-based program providing basic dental care to children without a regular dentist in Putnam County. The mobile unit visits various FamilyCare sites offering oral health screenings, x-rays, fluoride treatments, cleanings, and sealants.
Though FamilyCare has been providing dental services from a smaller Miles of Smiles unit, this new 40-foot unit will be able to expand upon those services for patients. The new unit allows for more patients to be seen and services to be provided at one time with having two dental chairs, as well as modern and updated equipment for patients comfort.
“A patient could be seen with our hygienist for a cleaning and exam in one part of our mobile unit, and if they should need a filling they can be seen by one of our dentist in the other part of the unit in the same day,” said Aimee Buchan, dental supervisor at FamilyCare. “That’s not something we could do before with our smaller unit. It’s a convenient way to treat their dental needs.”