Henry Schein will donate $250,000 in healthcare products over the next two years to the America's Dentists Care Foundation (ADCF).
The donation will support the ADCF's work at 50 dental Mission of Mercy (MOM) clinics, which provide free dental care to the underserved in the U.S., according to the company. Henry Schein will donate healthcare product kits valued at $5,000 each, including exam gloves, surgical face masks, gowns, and medical gauze, to 50 MOM events in 2016 and 2017.
The MOM events are staffed by volunteer dentists and dental hygienists who provide dental exams, x-rays, fillings, extractions, and instructions on oral hygiene to people in need. Dental assistants and lay volunteers also contribute to the efforts. According to the ADCF, a typical two-day MOM event serves an average of 1,600 patients.
Kansas and Nebraska dentists began hosting MOM clinics in 2003 and 2005, respectively. After lending their own equipment to support the growing number of MOM clinics, they formed the ADCF in 2008 to own, maintain, and provide the equipment to host events. Today, the ADCF owns three semitrailers, each with the equipment, tools, and instruments for a dental clinic.
