The 5th Biennial Free Dental & Vision Clinic Exclusively for low income families who cannot afford care. February 26th - 27th Services Dental examinations, extractions and oral surgery, and fillings Eye exams and vision care Patient Qualifications Family income of less than 200% of poverty level Unable to otherwise afford to get treatment On Friday, February 26th, come to the screening location. Numbered tickets for screening will be handed out starting at 3am and screening will begin at 7:30am in order of arrival and by ticket number. After your screening, you will be assigned an appointment for Saturday, February 27th at one of the treatment sites. Screening Location: Bethesda Health Clinic 409 W. Ferguson, Tyler, Texas Services provided at the event are limited and are First Come, First Serve! It is strongly encouraged that you arrive early. In the past, the event has drawn thousands of individuals looking for care, and we will only be able to provide screening and treatment for the first 500 eligible individuals. For more information, please contact Krystle Hazel at khazel@bethesdaclinic.org.
The 5th Biennial Free Dental & Vision Clinic For low income families who cannot afford care. February 26th - 27th Frequently Asked Questions 1. What is East Texas Mission of Mercy? East Texas Mission of Mercy was created when several local dentists came together wanting to address the tremendous need for dental care in East Texas. The faith-based mission event has been put on every other year since 2008 in Tyler with the goal of providing low income residents much needed dental and eye care at no cost. 2. Who qualifies as a low income resident? A low income resident is anyone whose family income is 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL) or less. The chart below shows the 200% FPL annual incomes by family size for reference. Family Size Annual Income 1 $23,540 2 $31,860 3 $40,180 4 $48,500 5 $56,820 6 $65,140 7 $73,460 8 $81,780 3. Is proof of income required? No. 4. Is identification required for service? No. However, it is helpful for treatment follow up if personal data is provided and is accurate.
4. What services will be available? There will be both dental and vision services provided. Dental Dental services will include examinations, extractions and oral surgery and fillings. The purpose of the screening on Friday, February 26th is to assess what treatment is needed. While the majority of the treatments will be scheduled for Saturday, February 27th, severe cases of pain, infection and necessary extractions may potentially be scheduled for treatment on Friday. Front teeth replacements with acrylic removable partial dentures will be available, but limited. Cosmetic treatments will not be conducted. Vision Vision screening will either be conducted onsite on Friday, February 26th or the individual will be provided a voucher to be seen at an approved local provider. 5. Why is my agency receiving this information directly? If your agency has received these materials in advance, it is because we believe your agency is in a unique position to identify potential patients who would qualify for care. The goal of the event is to help those who are financially vulnerable and are truly in need of these services. And we hope that you can help us to help others. 6. How do prospective patients get care at this event? Prospective patients should report to the screening location on Friday, February 26th. Tickets to be screened will be provided to eligible patients beginning at 3am. Screening for those with tickets will begin at 7:30am in order of arrival and by ticket number. Tickets will be provided on a first come, first served basis. And we will only be able to screen and then treat up to 500 individuals.
7. Where is the screening location? Screening will take place at Bethesda Health Clinic, which is located at the following address: 409 W. Ferguson Tyler, TX 75702 8. Why are tickets for screening passed out so early (3am) on Friday? Because of the overwhelming need in our area, this event has drawn thousands of individuals needing care. However, we are only able to treat a limited number of these individuals. This year, we will only have 500 tickets available for individuals to be screened and then treated. As a result of the demand, some individuals looking for care often camp out overnight at the screening location to ensure their place in line. This is why we strongly encourage individuals to come as early as possible to increase their chances of receiving a ticket. 9. Why is screening on Friday and treatment on Saturday? Screening is done on Friday for several reasons. It provides us with the opportunity to assess the needs. This information allows us to ensure that (i) treatment can be administered at one of the treatment sites and (ii) the treatment site will have the necessary specialists and equipment for the treatments. By organizing the event in this manner, we are able to help a large number of individuals over the course of just one day. 10. Who conducts the screening and provides the treatments? Everyone who works at the event is a volunteer. And they include dentists, dental hygienists, dental technicians, nurses, optometrists, clerical staff and other support staff. In addition, various facilities in and around the local area have donated their locations to be treatment sites on Saturday, February 27th for the event.
11. Is there transportation available for those to get to the treatment appointments? No. It is the responsibility of the individual to make arrangements to get to their treatment appointment. 12. What happens to those who miss their treatment appointment? Treatment appointments will only be performed during the event dates. If an individuals misses their appointment, they will need to find an alternative method to receive care. 13. What happens to those who are not able to be seen during the event? Those unable to receive care will be provided with a handout that will list other potential options for free or low-cost care. It will be the individual s responsibility to pursue those resources in order to get care at one of the partner agencies, clinics and other providers who may offer some relief. The handout will not be available until the day of the event, Friday, February 26th.