Hays event will bring free dental care to hundreds

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The event that will provide free dental care to children and adults will be coming to Hays on Feb. 18 and 19.

The Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation has announced Hays as a location for its free dental clinic — the Kansas Mission of Mercy.

The event will be at the Ellis County Fairgrounds and require 400 to 500 volunteers. This will include about a 100 dentists, oral surgeons and dental hygienists, who will offer their services free of charge during the event.

Doors will open for patient registration at 5:30 a.m. each day. You do not have to provide ID, proof of income, proof of insurance, legal or residence status, or dental records to receive care.

Everyone will be required to wear a mask in the building regardless of COVID vaccination status.

Some of the services offered will include cleanings, tooth extractions and fillings, said Niki Sadler, Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation executive director.

Due to COVID, the clinic will be spacing out dental chairs a little farther than at some previous events. A similar event in Dodge City in 2020 served 822 patients and one in Wichita in 2021 served 599 patients. The total donated services in Wichita in 2021 was more than $774,000.

However, Sadler said many variables play in each year to how many patients the event can serve.

Many of those who seek care at the event have not seen a dentist in a long time, Sadler said. Many have advanced dental disease as a result, she said.

The event will be first come, first serve for adults. Internally the  committee will work with health department and nurses for appointments for children, but the event will not turn children away.

More information will be released through the media on making appointments when the software is in place to begin scheduling appointment.

The event will need to raise about $160,000 in cash and in-kind donations. The Robert E. and Patricia Schmidt Foundation and the Delta Dental Foundation have already donated $50,000 each to the project.

Individuals and local businesses can donate through the Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation at www.ksdentalfoundation.org.

On Dec. 20, registration on that same website will open for volunteers. Many non-dental professional volunteers will be needed for the event, including people to serve meals to patients and other volunteers for security, set up, tear down, parking crew and patient escorts.

The event will take groups of volunteers, but each individual will need to sign up on the web portal so they can sign an event waiver.

This is the first time the Mission of Mercy has been staged in Hays.

"Northwest Kansas and Hays are a great location and great hub," Sadler said.

Although the event gives back in the form of free dental care, the event also brings revenue into the host community in the form of hotel stays and increases sales tax revenue from other purchases volunteers and dental patients will make in the community, Sadler said.

Although most of the patients will likely come from Hays and the surrounding area, Sadler said she won't be surprised if the event drew people from as far as Colorado.

Here are some key facts for patients

1. Patients should continue taking any prescription medication as directed so bring it along, so a dose is not missed should the patient have to wait a good portion of the day.
2. The patient will need to fill out a brief health history so bring a list of allergies, prescriptions, etc. to have this information available.
3. Patients do not need to bring dental records or proof of income.
4. Services are first come, first served and all adult patients must be able to wait in line – no appointments.
5. The doors will open for patient registration at 5:30 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday (Feb 18-19) and waiting in line or determining how early to get in line, is up to the patient. Indoor waiting is TBD.
6. Parking is limited so there may be no preferential parking for handicapped patients.
7. The event only lets in as many patients as it will be able to treat that day and officials will then close the doors. Standing in line on Friday and not getting in does not give the patient priority the next day. It is the same process on Saturday – first come, first served.
8. Be prepared to wait and potentially be there all day. Even though a patient might arrive early in the morning, it could be mid-afternoon before the patient is treated.
9. A sack breakfast and lunch will be provided for the patients at no cost to them. Patients with diabetes or anyone else who may require an alternative diet should bring food with them.
10. After an X-ray and medical screening, the patient will be examined by a dentist and the patient’s greatest need will be treated. For example, if a patient needs extractions and fillings, the greatest need (probably the extractions) will be treated. The patient does have the option to come back Saturday to get the fillings, but they must wait in line again like everybody else. No line priority is given.
11. There is no sedation or nitrous oxide used at this event. The patient will be numbed in the area of the procedure being done using an injectable numbing agent.
12. No dentures or implants will be provided.
13. Full mouth extractions (with the exception of wisdom teeth) will be done if determined necessary by the examining dentist. The patient will be able to discuss treatment/procedure options with the dentist prior to care.
14. The event typically has as many volunteers as need registered prior to the event. Therefore, volunteering will not give priority or access to treatment. Registered volunteers who wish to be treated need to manage their schedule, so they can wait in line for treatment.
15. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times.
16. After treatment, patients will be provided a phone number to call for follow up emergency care if they experience any problems regarding the treatment received.
17. Even though safe and effective coronavirus vaccines have been widely distributed, the organizers of the Kansas Mission of Mercy ask that if are sick or feeling like you are getting sick, please stay home.