Wisconsin Dental Association: 950 volunteers from across Wisconsin will help WDA Mission of Mercy deliver $1 million in free dental care in Sheboygan

CONTACT: Carol S. Weber, APR, Director of Public Relations

PHONE: 414-755-4108 (direct)

E-MAIL: cweber@wda.org

WEST ALLIS, WIS., June 15, 2010 – Approximately 950 volunteers from 158 Wisconsin communities will travel to Sheboygan next week to help provide $1 million in free dental care to 2,000 children and adults on June 25 and 26 at Sheboygan North High School, 1042 School Ave., for the Wisconsin Dental Association and WDA Foundation’s second annual Mission of Mercy or MOM.

MOM volunteers include 175 dentists, dental hygienists and assistants, Marquette University School of Dentistry students and community members. They will provide cleanings, fillings, extractions and limited treatment partials. Volunteer Spanish and Hmong translators will be available to assist patients.

Doors open at 6 a.m. Patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis. There are no appointments. Early arrival is encouraged with many – young and old alike – expected to line up outside the night before.

Individuals of all ages who are uninsured, underinsured or otherwise unable to visit a dental office and do not have a medically-compromising condition, such as extremely high blood pressure or severe disabilities that prohibits receiving care, are welcome.

Children under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Photo identification, social security number or other personal identification/documentation is not required.

In addition to volunteers’ time and skills, tax-deductible financial and in-kind donations in excess of $185,000 have been made to the WDA Foundation in support of the WDA Mission of Mercy in Sheboygan. Donations help cover the cost of dental equipment and facility rental, supplies, pharmaceuticals and food for this major charitable dental care event which includes setup on June 24 and cleanup on June 27.

MOM events deliver $6 to $8 in critically-needed dental care for every dollar donated.

Corporate partners include American Orthodontics Corp., Delta Dental of Wisconsin in memory of Dr. Coleman Gertler and Henry Schein Dental. Other major contributors include Dr. Alfred Bader, Frank G. and Freida K. Brotz Family Foundation, DentaQuest, Group One Marketing, Sheboygan County Dental Society and Tellier Foundation.

About 1 million low-income individuals, or 20 percent of Wisconsin residents, benefit from Medicaid, BadgerCare and BadgerCare Plus coverage during a 12-month period. Wisconsin Department of Health Services data shows these patients received $74 million in dental care services in 2006. The state and federal governments paid only $32 million or 44 percent of those charges. The remaining $42 million, or 56 percent, was donated by dentists due to very low reimbursement rates.

“Dentists do serve, but charity alone is not the answer,” explains WDA President-Elect and MOM State Program Chair Dr. Gene Shoemaker of Waukesha.

Some volunteers are traveling to Sheboygan after helping provide 1,535 children and adults with more than $850,000 in dental care during two days in La Crosse last year.

“Mission of Mercy events can help meet some individuals’ urgent oral health needs, but dentists, patients and legislators need to work together if improving access to dental care is to become a state priority,” Shoemaker said.

The WDA has six legislative proposals for addressing access which offer a variety of tools from dental education loan forgiveness to expanded function dental assistants to increased investment by the state in its dental Medicaid program. Visit WDA.org for details.

The Wisconsin Dental Association was established in 1870. With more than 2,900 members statewide, the WDA represents 83 percent of all licensed, practicing dentists in Wisconsin. WDA members are committed to promoting professional excellence and quality oral health care. The WDA is headquartered in West Allis and has a legislative office in Madison. It is one of 53 constituent (state-territorial) dental societies of the American Dental Association – the largest and oldest national dental association in the world. For more information on the WDA, call 414-276-4520, visit our WDA.org website and find us on Facebook, Flickr and YouTube .