By Hilary Canty, Executive Director OICF
Last year’s Community Needs Assessment gave the Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF) plenty of food for thought. It was clear that several areas of great need exist on Orcas, but the one that consistently rose to the surface was access to physical, mental and dental health services – a need that has only grown in light of the cuts in the safety net at the state level. In response, OICF has launched a new program, the Focus Area Investment initiative. OICF is collaborating with community partners to develop three projects to improve access and increase information to health care providers and clients alike.
The first project will address the immediate need for dental care for those community members who lack insurance and the ability to pay for care, which was identified as the highest priority in a survey of San Juan County families living at or below the federal poverty level. Early prevention and treatment can save thousands of dollars and, more importantly, eliminate unnecessary pain and discomfort. To begin to meet this need, OICF is working with County Health Nurse Tamara Joyner, Orcas Family Connections director Erin O’Dell and San Juan County Oral Hygiene Coalition member and RN Rita Bailey to bring a dental van from Medical Teams International to Orcas. On a recent Dental Van visit to San Juan Island, 28 patients received care valued at $12,000 in a two-day span. The first Orcas visit will be on March 23rd and 24th, with three additional visits scheduled in 2012. All three Orcas dentists and their staffs are donating their time to provide pro bono service. Patients will be prioritized based on their applications and level of need. Applications are available at the Food Bank, OPAL, the Senior Center, Orcas Family Connections and the Fire Department.
OICF’s second 2012 Focus Area Investment project stems from our health care providers’ pleas to get them more and better information about each other so they can help their patients. Providers don’t have enough information about who offers each kind of care, what kind of reduced-price or free care is available, and more. For example, what are the specialties of our local mental health providers? What local nonprofits have funds to defray costs such as trips to the mainland for doctor visits? Which dentists offer care for clients receiving public assistance? The island doctors, dentists, and therapists (and their clients) all need a central information source. OICF will create a dynamic web-based directory of services and supports. OICF’s goal is to centralize the information, make it directly available to all of our providers and train volunteers throughout the community to guide access. OICF’s third project will be a community wide survey to track key community indicators starting with residents’ physical, mental and dental health care needs. This project will provide the data needed to support future decisions facing Orcas as our population changes and as our health care situation evolves.
OICF is applying for a Knight Foundation grant of $25,000 and has raised $15,000 towards the required matching funds. If you are interested in contributing towards these projects or would like more information, please contact Hilary Canty at the OICF office, 376-6423 or hilary@oicf.us.
Neighbors,
If you or anyone you know needs basic dental work which you/they cannot otherwise obtain, be sure to file an application for an appointment with the visiting dental van! It will be parked at the Food Bank on 23 and 24 March, staffed by Orcas dentists and hygienists who are donating their time. The applications, to provide information for appointment screening and notification, may be picked up at the Food Bank, OPAL, the Senior Center, Orcas Family Connections and the Fire Department.
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Thank you, Steven. The van will be actually be parked on the other side of the Community Church to allow folks to have access to a warm pre-screening area and have access to restrooms in the church’s Family Life Center. Should be easy to spot, regardless!