The following a press release:
Arcora Foundation’s SmileMobile, a mobile dental clinic, will join with many other organizations and thousands of volunteers to provide free health care to an expected turnout of more than 4,000 people at the 2018 Seattle/King County Clinic Sept. 20-23 in Key Arena at Seattle Center.
The Seattle/King County Clinic is an annual event organized by the Seattle Center Foundation. While many of those seeking medical, dental and vision care are likely to be from King County, the clinic has historically drawn people from all over the state, and dental care is usually the most requested service. Dental treatments available at the Clinic will include cleanings, extractions, fillings, crowns and root canals.
“This is a tremendous free service provided by many organizations and thousands of health care professionals who volunteer their time, energy and expertise to meet an urgent need,” said Arcora Foundation President & CEO Diane Oakes. “But as great as it is, it’s only a temporary fix to an ongoing problem, and we need to work toward an enduring solution to make health care accessible and affordable for everyone.”
Oakes said people with Apple Health (Medicaid) have dental benefits but still have difficulty accessing care, noting that fewer than one out of four of the 1.1 million adults in the state who have Apple Health (Medicaid) saw a dentist in the last year.
“This event is critical to helping working families in our region access much-needed health care,” said Teresa Mosqueda, Chair of the health committee on the Seattle City Council. “Oral health is essential to overall health – unmet oral health needs can cause detrimental impacts on physical health, pregnancy, educational attainment and employment opportunities. Each year we see people attend this clinic, which shows that despite our city’s booming economy, we have community members who are left behind and without essential health care. This is one step toward getting folks much-needed care, and I will continue working on policy changes so that all residents have access to care.”
The Seattle/King County Clinic runs from Thursday through Sunday. The last two days tend to be the busiest. Free admission tickets are given first come, first served starting at 5 a.m. each morning. Patients are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing, and bring food, water and any medications they need to take during the day.
For more information, go to http://seattlecenter.org/patients/.
