Bagley Downs — The Free Clinic of Southwest Washington received a $5,000 grant from the Patterson Foundation, which will be used to help pay for the clinic’s oral health program. The clinic provides dental services at its location at the Jim Parsley Center and in its mobile dental van at Clark County schools and community-sponsored events. Dental volunteers fill cavities and screen, seal and varnish children’s teeth. Care for adults includes extractions, fillings, the repair of broken teeth and pain relief. Without the program, the Free Clinic’s patients might have to seek care in expensive hospital emergency rooms. “Restoring the oral health of families living in poverty eliminates a barrier to their participation in the workforce,” Executive Director Ann Wheelock, said in a release. “Access to dental care is a key component in breaking the cycle of inter-generational poverty.”
