As part of a recently created program, the Berkeley Free Clinic has exclusively set aside time outside of its normal hours of operation to offer free dental procedures to undocumented immigrants in the Bay Area who are without legal status or are seeking asylum.

According to campus senior Clay Carter, the program’s co-founder, the service offers free lifetime dental coverage for an array of typically expensive treatments, ranging from routine examinations to tooth extractions. Program participants cannot qualify for Medi-Cal or have refugee status in order to obtain these benefits.

The service has been operating on one to three Friday evenings per month since February, outside of the clinic’s normal business hours from Monday to Thursday.

“These are people who can’t qualify (for) any sort of government coverage,” Carter said. “In fact, even seeking health care for them is something that’s potentially dangerous, particularly now where people are getting rounded up … going to a mainstream medical place or hospital.”

Although the free treatments offered are the same treatments given to the clinic’s regular clientele, the clinic reformed its typical intake procedure — a lottery system — so that it would be more accessible. In a separate lottery system that gives Friday evening applicants special placement, Spanish-speaking volunteers help potential participants fill out applications, which are available in both English and Spanish.

Carter said the program has five volunteer providers: three dentists and two hygienists. Only nine undocumented community members are receiving lifetime dental coverage through the program because every dentist is assigned three patients — there is a waitlist of about 20 people.

Much of the program’s clientele is obtained through partnerships with outside organizations that work with undocumented immigrants seeking asylum.

The program’s other co-founder, campus alumnus Do Hyung Kwon, said he was inspired to create the service when he noticed a lack of Hispanic or Latino immigrants among the clinic’s regular clientele. Kwon said he first contacted the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, an organization next door to the clinic that offers inexpensive legal help for people seeking asylum.

“(The program) was really just forged by a couple people that wanted to do this service and we were like, ‘What resources do we have? OK, no one’s in here on Fridays. Let’s see if we can get people in here to use these resources that are all donated,’ ” Carter said.

Carter added that the clinic also reached out to Oakland Catholic Worker, a transitional shelter for recently arrived Latin American immigrants, for participants.

“In general, I would imagine people perceive dental care to be less of a necessity,” said Victoria Richey, a caseworker for Oakland Catholic Worker. “So ultimately, if we’re able to have these preventative services … I think that will prevent more costly and more detrimental problems in the future.”

Jessica Flores, an undocumented campus sophomore, said she hopes that more people will become aware of the clinic’s services.

“Dental care is something that is forgotten a lot in our community,” Flores said. “Healthcare is a privilege in this country for some reason. Not everyone has access to go to the doctor whenever they need to, and it’s an issue.”

Carter emphasized the confidentiality and quality that comes with the program.

Since the Berkeley Free Clinic does not receive funding from the federal government, there are no formal audits. Furthermore, the clinic is legally obligated to uphold the same standards as a typical private practice, according to Carter.

Carter added that the ultimate goal for the program is to recruit more volunteer dentists so that the clinic has enough resources to operate every Friday, allowing it to serve more undocumented immigrants.

“Prevention starts with having access to healthcare,” Flores said. “It’s a luxury in America, and I don’t think it should be.”

Fionce Siow covers student life. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @fioncesiow.