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Closure of United We Smile dental clinic leaves veterans' care gap; county directs staff to explore options
Summary
After learning the United We Smile clinic closed and its board was dissolved, the county board directed staff to work with Veterans Affairs and the health department to develop options for continuing dental services for veterans; clinic staff said 20+ cases were in progress and about 311 veterans remain on the wait list.
The Grand Traverse County Board heard testimony that United We Smile, a clinic that provided free dental care to veterans and other underserved populations, abruptly closed after its fiduciary organization dissolved the clinic board and made staffing and financial changes.
"Over the last 2 years and 3 months that we've been open, we provided for veterans $1,246,298 of free dental care," Jennifer Kearns, founder of United We Smile, told commissioners. Kearns and staff dentist Dr. David Carlisle described an operation that used dental students and volunteers to treat complicated cases and that served patients turned away by other practices.
Carlisle said…
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