CHICO — California CareForce will be providing free medical, dental and vision care at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds to anyone who needs care on Aug. 3 and 4.

Even after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, 1 in 10 Americans remain without health insurance. An even greater number report going years without seeing a dental or vision professional because they just cannot afford it, according to Emerald Carroll, California CareForce volunteer and outreach coordinator.

Since 2011, California CareForce has hosted about four, two-day clinics a year in the state in places like Oakland, Sacramento, Coachella Valley and the greater Los Angeles area. This is the first time it has scheduled a clinic in Butte County.

While California CareForce provides all the equipment and supplies for the two-day clinics,it depends on local volunteer medical, dental and vision professionals to be the “boots on the ground” providing services.

In the past eight years, more than 15,000 volunteers have provided $14 million in health, dental and vision care services to more than 32,000 people through the nonprofit’s clinics.

There are no income, employment, age, family size or immigration status restrictions on who receives services at the clinic. California CareForce does not require insurance or ID to serve patients and all services are free including same-day prescription glasses, teeth cleaning, fillings and extractions as well as general medicine and physicals. Armed forces veterans are given special priority.

“People needing services need to come the day before to register for an appointment. So for those wanting to be seen on Saturday, they need to come to the fairgrounds on Friday. Those wishing to be seen on Sunday may register on Saturday. Our goal is that no one has to stand in line in the heat for a long time,” said Carroll.

Typically the clinics are planned a year in advance but when Dr. Tom Lewis, a retired Chico dentist, contacted the organization in February about hosting a clinic in Butte County, Carroll said California CareForce was ready to step up.

“When we heard about the (Camp) fire we wanted to get up there immediately but we knew we needed to wait until things settled down a little because there were a lot of resources flowing in and a lot of local resources stretched very thin. So when Dr. Lewis reached out and was willing to take on the big task of working with us to pull everything together, we said yes. This is the fastest we’ve ever put a clinic together,” said Carroll.

Lewis said based on the needs of the population in Butte County he’d had a dream of bringing a California CareForce clinic to the area for a long time but after the Camp Fire he “just knew everyone, including me, had to do everything we could to help people.”

Following his retirement, Lewis, who has been a dentist for nearly 50 years, said, “I wanted to do what I could to help people” and began volunteering his professional services at clinics around the world.

“I am so excited to be doing this locally. Since my retirement, I decided I have enough and all I want to do is give for as long as I have,” he said.

The first task Lewis took on was to start raising the $150,000 necessary to fund the clinic. Through private donations, a small grant from the Northern Valley Community Foundation as well as a large grant from the Chico Seventh Day Adventist Church “enough funds have been raised to provide all sorts of services,” said Lewis.

“We more need volunteers. We can’t do it without them,” he said.

Staffing the event will require more than 300 volunteers each day. While non-medical professionals, including translators, are needed to help manage the event and patients, Lewis said general dentists, dental assistants, x-ray technicians, hygienists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons are needed. Medical professional volunteers including MDs, DOs, PAs, NPs, RNs, LVNs, LPNs, EMTs, pharmacists, chiropractors and acupuncturists are also needed. To provide vision services Lewis said they are still looking for dispensing opticians, lab opticians, ophthalmic and optometric technicians, ophthalmologists and optometrists to volunteer.

“Our goal is to serve 1,000 people a day if we can get enough professionals to volunteer. We want to serve the community, which has been so welcoming and thankful, despite everything they’ve been through. We are looking forward our first time in Butte County,” said Carroll.

Free clinic

California CareForce free medical, dental, vision clinic

7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Aug. 3 and 4

Registration for appointments starts Aug 1

Silver Dollar Fairgrounds, 2357 Fair St.

Patient information: https://www.californiacareforce.org/patients/chico/

Volunteer information/registration: https://www.californiacareforce.org/volunteer/chico/