About RI Mission of Mercy Key Points
- In 2010, of the 217,000 RI Medicaid enrollees, 130,000 individuals did not have a dental visit.
- This problem has gotten worse in recent years. Many people longer have dental insurance through their employer, or cannot afford to pay for dental care.
- This RIMOM clinic is all-volunteer. There is no charge to patients who receive treatment and all the dentists and other providers donate their services and pay their own expenses.
- The RIMOM program is intended to help people in pain or with oral health problems that can lead to more serious health issues.
- The RIOHF will hold an annual 2-day RIMOM free clinic, seeing thousands of patients. Please note - RIMOM is only a stopgap measure for people with nowhere else to turn for dental care. It
is not a health care program.
- RIMOM also helps focus public attention on the growing access to care problem in our state and nation.
- There is nothing more important to the Rhode Island dental community than addressing the access issue. The keys to fixing this problem are:
-- Promoting the prevention of dental diseases;
-- Increasing the number of dentists practicing in underserved areas;
-- Improving funding for dental services under public health programs,
such as State Children's Health Insurance Program and Medicaid.
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Mission
The RIMOM provides the opportunity for oral health professionals to address unmet RI oral health needs through advocacy, education, and the delivery of high quality dental services.
Vision The RIMOM:
- Trusts that Rhode Island can improve the oral health status of its residents through a variety of mechanisms;
- Envisions that a RIMOM event will be conducted annually to reveal not only unmet oral health need among Rhode Islanders, but also to highlight the dedication and community
engagement of oral health professionals;
- Believes that through service and education, oral disease among underserved Rhode Islanders can be better understood, managed, and prevented. This, in turn, will reduce
future dental & medical expenses, and improve quality of life.
The RI MOM will:
- Provide free access to dental care while placing a high priority on patients suffering from dental infections or pain.
- Raise awareness of the increasing difficulty low-income, underserved individuals face in accessing critical dental care.
- The emphasis will be on basic care, such as fillings, extractions, and cleanings. Limited lab work (for example, treatment partials) and limited root canal therapy will be offered.
- An important element of the RI MOM program is patient education. Education is the most cost-effective way to reduce oral disease among underserved populations. A
program to help patients understand the importance of good daily oral hygiene practices, healthy diet and routine preventive dental care is an essential part of the RI MOM event.
What Does Hosting a MOM Require?
We expect to deliver approximately $500,000 in free care to 1,000 patients—both children and
adults. We recognize that, as a foundation, we can't do it alone. Volunteers are essential to the success of a MOM. We need the help of more than 500 individual volunteer dentists,
dental hygienists and assistants, lab technicians and lay persons from across Rhode Island to donate their time and talents. In addition to the dental professionals, lay volunteers are
necessary to help with food service, parking, crowd control, set-up, and tear-down, as well as to serve as patient escorts and translators. We need the help of collaborating
organizations, such as local dental societies, specialty groups, dental hygiene schools, local and statewide corporations, dental supply companies, Rhode Island-based corporations, and charitable foundations.
In addition to time donated by individuals, we also need financial support. As noted, the clinics are 100% volunteer operated. No staff is paid and patients incur no costs. MOM events
deliver, on average, $5 to $7 in critically-needed dental care for every donor dollar received. The Rhode Island Oral Health Foundation is raising private donations to cover all the costs
associated with the event. Donations may come in the form of funds, supplies, donated meals and/or snacks, tables and chairs, badges, forms, and a variety of other support items.
Financial donations and in-kind contributions may be made through the RIOHF to help cover $75,000 in dental equipment, instruments and materials, supplies, pharmaceuticals and food
costs for this two-day charitable care event. Contributions, no matter the amount, will make a difference in treating thousands of patients. |
