Community dental clinic in Nanaimo will provide dental care for people with low incomes

A group called Community Organized Dental Clinic, working with Volunteer Nanaimo, is about to open a dental clinic for people in the city who aren’t able to afford dental care. The group initially received a grant from the City of Nanaimo’s Social Planning Advisory Committee and it then worked with volunteer tradespeople to prepare a space for the clinic at 489 Wallace Street. The clinic, which was two and a half years in the planning and making, now has four volunteer dentists, but seeks additional dentists as well as other volunteers to schedule appointments and help with bookkeeping.

Dental problems have been found among the top 10 reasons for hospital emergency visits and can lead to heart disease, overall poor health and abscesses that if left untreated could cause blindness and even death.

We speak with Leanne Salter, the chairperson of the Community Organized Dental Clinic.

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