The M.O.M. Project

The Virginia Employment Commission 2000 Population Projects estimated that one-in-five Virginians live in an underserved area. Typically these are rural communities with a significant impoverished population. Individuals in these areas (primarily the working poor, the elderly, the disabled, or the uninsured) are often left without any dental care to face extreme pain, discomfort, and embarrassment. In response to the lack of access to care and the resulting poor oral health of thousands of indigent Virginians, the Virginia Dental Health Foundation launched the Mission of Mercy (MOM) and began to "make caring visible."

The Mission of Mercy projects are conducted in identified, underserved areas of the state where there are not enough dental practitioners to adequately address the oral health needs of the community. Any individual who is able to show up on site is considered eligible. Our intentions are not to judge, but rather to serve.

Thus far, three MOM projects have been held in Wise, VA, two projects on the Eastern Shore (see photos), and one in Annandale. For each MOM project, there are hundreds of volunteers who participate. To date, 5,365 patients have been provided with over $1.8 million worth of free dental care. Virginia's MOM projects have broken records for the largest two and three day dental outreach clinics ever conducted in the United States.  Dr. Hasty and Ms. Jennifer Brooks (DA) have participated with the M.O.M. project in the past and look forward to participating in future missions.

M.O.M. Project - link here to the Mission of Mercy web site