November 20, 2024

This fall, the Good Samaritan Free Health Center received the Ohio Dental Association Access to Dental Program Award. The ODA’s Access to Dental Care Program Award honors an outstanding program that helps reduce the access to care problem in Ohio by offering free or reduced-fee dental care to the underserved populations of FHC patients.

Operating now for more than 10 years, the FHC’s dental program has now grown to offer comprehensive care including fillings, extractions, prosthetics, extractions, cleanings, patient education, and more. The dental staff now consists of 3 part-time employees, including a dentist, Dr. Amanda Grau, a dental assistant, and a registered hygienist, as well as many volunteer dentists and hygienists.

The FHC dental program has demonstrated a critical role in access to care for the population serviced by the center. Ten years ago, FHC dental volunteers and team performed 823 procedures during 239 appointments. In fiscal year 2024, the FHC provided 5,900 procedures during 1,680 dental appointments, contributing a donated cost of $981,205. Additionally, the FHC partnered with the Ohio Penal Industries (OPI) Dental Services Lab. The OPI Dental Services Lab is a training program at the London Correctional Institution offering the manufacturing of dental products, including dentures. This partnership provides in-demand training for incarcerated persons while also offering prosthetic units to the FHC dental clinic at approximately half the cost of a private lab, enabling the team to give more patients a full set of teeth.

Congratulations to the Free Health Center Dental Program on this outstanding honor!

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Dr. Amanda Grau accepting the award at the Callahan Celebration of Excellence, held in conjunction with the 158th ODA Annual Session on September 13