In 2009 the Oral Cancer Foundation initiated a program of donating LED Dental's VELscope oral cancer screening systems to free clinics. The most recent recipients of this program are two West Virginia clinics: West Virginia Health Right in Charleston and the Susan Dew Hoff Memorial Clinic in West Milford.
"Our intent is to identify free clinics in areas that have a high concentration of people who are both at risk for oral cancer and without the financial means to pay for comprehensive oral exams," said Brian Hill, Oral Cancer Foundation founder and executive director, in a press release. "It is difficult to think of an area that better fits those criteria than West Virginia." The state ranks highest in the country in tobacco usage and next to last in per capita income, he added.
In identifying free clinics to be potential recipients of the device, the Oral Cancer Foundation is careful to ensure that each candidate clinic has at least one dentist on staff who can be trained to use the device and can train other staff members.
West Virginia Health Right was founded in 1982 by a small group of physicians and nurses who recognized the need for a source of ongoing healt care for Charleston's low-income uninsured. The clinic has grown so much since its founding that it is now in its third location. In 2001, it added a three-unit dental operatory, making it West Virginia's first free dental clinic. It now serves almost 20,000 patients per year, with more than 180 medical and dental professional volunteers.
The Susan Dew Hoff Memorial Clinic serves more than 1,800 active patients in West Virginia's Harrison County. Volunteers include five dentists, five dental assistants, and one hygienist. Roughly half of the patients are employed but without health insurance, while the other half are elderly and rely largely on Medicare.
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