The Care Free Dental Clinic in Lansing, MI, has created the Pay It Forward program designed to help individuals without dental insurance to get access to dental care and encourage volunteer community service.
The program connects patients with roughly 80 organizations based in Lansing and Mason, MI, where they can donate hours of volunteer community service in return for dental care at a participating dentist's office in the community. Participants must be without coverage and under the 250% poverty line.
Prospective patients go through a five-step process. First, they contact the program for eligibility requirements, then complete the necessary paperwork, and volunteer in the community. Next, they take a brief class on oral health at Care Free Dental and then they receive treatment from a participating dentist.
