St. Mary's Takes Dental Care On The Road

In the year 2000, St. Mary’s Hospital in Evansville saw a need for better adult dental care in the area. In order to help stop the problem before it started, St. Mary’s began the Mobile Dental Care for Kids program that year.

“It is designed to focus on prevention and getting to the children early so that they will not have dental problems as adults,” said Eric Girten, director of Community Outreach and Access for the hospital.

Twelve years later, the clinic continues to grow. “We had over 3,600 patient contacts last year,” Girten said. “We are on target to have more than that this year.” He added that the clinic serves children up to the age of 19 in Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick and Spencer counties in Indiana and wants to serve more patients in those counties during the next few years.

The clinic operates Monday through Friday every week. In addition to the bus that serves as a mobile clinic, St. Mary’s also utilizes portable equipment to provide treatment to children at local schools and agencies.

Several area dentists and hygienists staff the clinic – Dr. Julie Collins on Mondays and Tuesdays; Dr. Rachel Harvey on Wednesdays; Dr. John Wittgen on Thursdays and Drs. James Rang and Derek Graber alternate Fridays. In addition to the five regular dentists, five other dentists provide additional coverage and work with the clinic’s portable equipment when needed. The dentists receive help from six dental hygienists, some of whom work four days a week at the clinic.

St. Mary’s remains dedicated to offering dental care services to children even if the patients and their parents lack the necessary funds to pay for dental care. “The program is mobile which helps to break down the physical barriers of getting the dental treatment,” Girten noted. “If the patients have insurance but no dentist, we will take that insurance.  If they do not have insurance, our Health Access Advocates will assist them with applying for Hoosier Healthwise (a healthcare program offered by the state to assist children, pregnant women, and families with low income).”

“We also offer payment plans for some. Some people just don’t want any payment assistance and pay out of pocket,” Girten added.

The clinic provides Spanish interpretation for Hispanic patients as well. “We have a Latino Health Access Advocate/Interpreter who assists us with the Latino patients.  We also use CYRACOM over-the-phone interpretation to assist with other languages,” Girten said.

For Katie Miller, a dental hygienist who began working at the mobile clinic two years ago, helping children remains a rewarding experience. “I enjoy creating a positive experience for children and educating them on the importance of oral health,” Miller said. “The dental bus is a kid friendly environment, which helps initially put them at ease.  We have children's books and televisions playing children's movies...By taking all these steps, we can generally make progress and ease them into their dental treatment.  We are patient, kind, and comforting.  We also modify our treatment to best suit the child’s needs and comfort levels.”

Miller loves seeing children leave the bus happier, healthier and better educated than when they arrived. “I find it very rewarding when these children leave with a smile on their face and we have been able to provide them with important knowledge to take with them.”

In spite of a dedicated staff, funding remains an issue with the clinic. “We always need funding since our billing does not fully cover expenses,” Girten said. Anyone interested in giving to the clinic can send donations to the St. Mary’s Foundation in care of the Mobile Dental Care for Kids program.