Free Dental Clinic Attracts Crowds The Day Before It Opens In America
People have started queuing for a free dental clinic the day before it opens; the Mission of Mercy clinic in Lawton has already attracted huge crowds, despite the fact that it will not open until Friday morning.
The clinic, which will take place at the Great Plains Coliseum, opens to patients at 5am on Friday morning, but crowds started gathering from 7.30am on Thursday morning; by the afternoon there was a long line of people and volunteers at the event worked hard to ensure that everyone was warm.
Organisers of the clinic are expecting to treat around 2,000 people over the course of the next two days; hundreds of volunteers including dentists, dental hygienists, dental nurses and general volunteers, will be helping out at the event, which aims to provide dental treatment for people who do not have dental insurance and those on low incomes.
James Long was one of the many patients to arrive at the Great Plains Coliseum early; he arrived at 7.30am yesterday and waited in line with a gathering crowd o make sure that he got an appointment at the clinic; Mr Long needs several teeth extracting, but he cannot afford to pay to see a dentist.
Mr Long is among thousands of Americans in the same situation; free clinics, such as those organised by the Mission of Mercy, are becoming increasingly popular, as more and more Americans struggle to afford to pay for dental care. Clinics are often over-subscribed and it is common to see people waiting for hours, sometimes in icy conditions or searing heat, to ensure that they get an appointment.
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