NSU Joins "Project: Dentists Care," Partners to Provide Indigent Dental Care At Caridad Health Clinic Migrant Farmworkers, Children and Families to Receive Care Beginning July 2.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 1999--

Nova Southeastern University's community dentistry mission is poised to expand into Palm Beach County, as the College of Dental Medicine has recently finalized affiliation agreements to provide dental care to medically underserved rural patients and to bring dental education to the Caridad Health Clinic in Boynton Beach.

As part of Project: Dentists Care, a community outreach program operated under the auspices of the Florida Dental Association, the College has recently partnered with the Caridad Health Clinic for the provision of dental care to indigent and underserved patients. The College's postdoctoral Pediatric Dentistry program will also utilize the center as a clinical training site.

Operated by the Migrant Association of South Florida, the Caridad Health Clinic opened in 1992 to provide medical and dental care to migrant farmworkers, their children and families. Project: Dentists Care has been an integral part of the Caridad Clinic since its inception.

The Migrant Association of South Florida is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 by Caridad Asensio, a social and health educator and community activist, to reach out and serve migrant farmworkers and their children and to guide them toward becoming productive members of the community. The organization works to upgrade living standards through adequate housing, clothing and food; provide health care, encourage education, and foster social and civic awareness through programs and activities.

The Caridad Health campus is located on a 6.7 acre parcel at 8645 West Boynton Beach Blvd., Boynton Beach. The new clinic building, dedicated in November 1997 as the Count and Countess deHoernle Pavilion in honor of their generous donation, will allow the expansion of the medical, dental, and social services offered, as well as provide for health education.

"Most of the migrant children have never been able to visit a dentist, and this program will provide the opportunity to receive dental care of the highest quality," said Mrs. Asensio. "This invaluable partnership with NSU will help us take care of our increasing number of patients, and we are very grateful for their help."

"These affiliations will provide our students the opportunity to treat special-needs patients in nontraditional settings," said Dr. Robert Uchin, the College's Associate Dean for Extramural Affairs. "By bringing our clinical training program into dentally needy areas, we intend to be part of the solution to the chronic health care access problems faced by residents of Florida's rural communities, while exposing our students to the challenges and rewards of community service and involvement. Also, local residents will benefit from improved access to high quality dental care. It's a win-win situation."

Other NSU-CDM Local Outreach Activities

1) At the North Broward Hospital District's N.W. Seventh Avenue

Center, located in an inner-city area of Fort Lauderdale, NSU

College of Dental Medicine provides dental care as part of an

affiliation to help enable the District to provide dental care to

the community and to increase educational opportunities for the

NSU College of Dental Medicine predoctoral and postgraduate

students. The College does not receive compensation from patients

for providing this care.

2) The College of Dental Medicine provides dental care at the

Landmark Learning Center, an organization that treats

developmentally challenged adults in the greater Miami area.

3) The College of Dental Medicine, in conjunction with area social

service agencies, provides dental care to underserved homeless

and HIV-positive patient groups.

4) The College of Dental Medicine provided free dental screenings for

participants in the 1999 Florida Special Olympics.

5) Sam Dorn, D.D.S., Professor and Director of Postgraduate

Endodontics for Nova Southeastern University College of Dental

Medicine, was recognized June 1998 for his volunteer work with

Project: Dentists Care (PDC), a public/private partnership

supported by the Florida Dental Association. Dr. Dorn was honored

PDC President Dr. Frank Boyar at the Florida National Dental

Congress, the FDA's annual convention, for his work in establishing

a PDC program, Donated Dental Services, sponsored by the National

Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped, whereby community

dentists provide pro bono care to handicapped patients in their own

offices.

6) As part of an international humanitarian effort, NSU's College of

Dental Medicine will provide free emergency dental care for

refugees from Kosovo and surrounding areas. The refugees have

recently arrived in the U.S. and are staying locally with

relatives. Many of the refugees are children.

7) The University, in partnership with the Hendry County Board of

County Commissioners, also played a pivotal role in expanding

services at the Florida Community Health Centers, Inc., an

ambulatory clinic in Clewiston, a rural community near Lake

Okeechobee. The non-profit firm, which operates several primary

medical care facilities in the Lake Okeechobee region, was able to

add dental services at its Clewiston site and completely equip

three dental operatories, including laboratories and X-ray

equipment, and hire a dentist and two dental assistants. The clinic

has been used as a rural rotation training site for the

University's College of Osteopathic Medicine students, and future

plans may call for establishing a Community Dentistry training

program there.

NSU's College of Dental Medicine anticipates playing a greater role in assisting the South Florida community enhance access to high quality dental care.