SMILE ON 60+ Senior Oral Health Initiative Brings Mobile Dental Clinic to Upper Cumberland Region
On March 28, 2019 SMILE ON 60+ will bring a mobile dental clinic to Life Church in Cookeville in partnership with Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry and the Upper Cumberland Area Agency on Aging and Disability (UCAAAD). SMILE ON 60+, a statewide senior oral health initiative led by Interfaith Dental, launched in August 2018 in partnership with 15 dental clinics providing oral health care services and education to seniors in need.
SMILE ON 60+ is a system of outreach and care services designed to provide older adults age 60+ with transformational oral health care services. Those who qualify for participation in the SMILE ON 60+ mobile dental clinic are: a minimum of 60 years old; a Tennessee state resident; mobile (able to self-transport or receive transport to clinic); have an income level below 200% poverty and dentally uninsured. The program covers many common dental procedures including cleaning, extractions, fillings, and dentures for a $25 per visit facility fee.
Appointments are required; those interested in learning more may call SMILE ON 60+ hotline for prescreening at 1-800-509-6055. You must have proof of household income, any medical insurance cards, and a Tennessee driver’s license or other state-issued ID.
While Interfaith Dental is serving as the lead agency, they have over 22 partners planned to join the project over a 3-year period covering 52 counties and 42 locations; including 2 mobile units. The funding for this project was provided through a grant awarded by the Davidson County Chancery Court, Part III from the SeniorTrust/ElderTrust settlement (Case No. 11-1548-III) and through a contract administered by the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability.
UCAAAD is participating as a regional SMILE ON 60+ partner, serving eligible senior patients in Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Van Buren, Warren and White counties.
“We are excited to bring this opportunity to senior citizens in the Upper Cumberland,” Clare Farless, Family Caregiver Coordinator “dental care can be very expensive, and we are so excited to partner with Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry and SMILE ON 60+ to offer discounted services. We also would like to thank Life Church in Cookeville for letting us use their facility for the clinic.” Also, onsite the day of the event will be AAAD staff ready to answer questions about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and TN SHIP Medicare Information & Counseling.
For more information, visit www.smileon60plus.com or call the hotline at 1-800-509-6055.
About SMILE ON 60+
Pursuant to the settlement of two related Chancery Court cases in Davidson County, Tennessee, approximately $36 million in funding is being granted to six different organizations in the State for the purposes of implementing statewide initiatives designed to make lives better for older Tennesseans. Through the efforts of the Court and a group of five philanthropic organizations who provided their expertise, a process was developed to accept and then carefully vet statewide proposals in four specific areas for innovation, ability to implement, and sustainability. The process took almost two years to complete.
