13 Dec 2021 Outreach partners with hospital to offer dental care to homeless in Faulkner County

CONWAY — Beginning in January, the City of Hope Outreach will be partnering with Conway Regional Health System and Interfaith Dental Clinic to pilot a new “CoHO Cares” initiative. Supported by a $2,500 grant from Delta Dental and a gift of $7,174 from the Adcock Family Foundation, the CoHO Cares partnership will provide free dental screenings, education, and treatment for local homeless individuals.

John Williams, CoHO Cares Case Manager, will be coordinating dental services between under-served communities and the Interfaith Dental Clinic.  “When considering the needs of the individual, dental health is commonly overlooked, and yet is one of the biggest needs for those without access to it,” Williams said.  “With this program, we have one more avenue to provide for those hungry for hope.”

The pilot program will initially run from January through February. 

“For me, healthcare is a calling, and working at the Interfaith Dental Clinic has allowed me the opportunity to serve a population that would not be able to have access to dental care without our clinic,” said Dr. Gary Jones, D.D.S.  Access to care for our patients means that people are able to receive the appropriate dental treatment that they would not be able to afford otherwise, and also helps reduce visits to the emergency room. Our partnership with CoHO is especially important because we are able to extend our impact even further across the state of Arkansas and help those individuals in need who reside in the city of Conway and other parts of Central Arkansas.”