I shot the Arkansas Mission of Mercy's free dental clinic Friday in Springdale at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center. About 900 dentists, dental assistants, hygienists and regular people volunteered their time to help treat more than 1,100 adults and children on the first day of the two-day clinic. Only extractions and fillings were performed at the clinc. There were no cleanings offered. ArMOM's mission is to relieve the pain of people who suffer from poor oral health.
There were people at the clinic who drove up to 10 hours and waited in line overnight for a chance to have their pain relieved. Hundreds were turned away on Friday and told to come back the following day. The ones that did make it in were well taken care of, despite the long wait. Local members of the Southern Baptist Convention's Disaster Relief Team cooked and served free breakfast and dinner.
The logistics of the dental clinic were mind boggling. There were about two dozen volunteers who did nothing but sterilize and restock the huge supply of dental tools used at the event.
There were even volunteers at the event to help take care of the volunteers.
I was very impressed with the overall effort of the ArMOM event, it's a great thing. This is the third year for the free dental clinic, the first two were held in Little Rock. I hope it continues for many years to come.
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