Salvation Army reopens free dental clinic in Oxnard, needs volunteer dentists

The Salvation Army has reopened its free dental clinic in Oxnard to offer extractions, fillings, cleanings and other dental needs for the homeless and low-income residents of Ventura County.

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“We’re talking about a really dense community here that is very impoverished,” said Lt. Joshua Humphrey, corps officer with the Salvation Army Oxnard/Port Hueneme.

The renovated dental clinic opened in January and now has two dentist chairs instead of one.

“It helps because they can be prepping one person while the other person is being helped,” said Humphrey, adding that patients are currently being seen on a first-come, first-served basis. “We don’t have a lot of dentists on board yet, so our big push is to connect with the community and let them know we’re here and let them know we’re in need of service providers.”

The original clinic opened in 1996.

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“There was also a medical clinic here at the time,” Humphrey said. “There were doctors and dentists that were working very closely, and it was a full service, running much more actively back then.

“The problem is we were limited in how many people we could help in the dental clinic and nobody was showing up for the medical, so we closed the medical down,” he explained. “Then there was just too much need for dental, so we closed this clinic and did a remodel.”

Due to “construction hiccups,” it took much longer than expected to reopen, Humphrey said.

“So we lost a lot of our volunteer dentists,” he said. “They ended up at other places to volunteer or work at, or they moved away. So we’re trying to get the word out that we need volunteers.”

Elva Leon, a registered dental assistant, coordinates the clinic.

“We desperately need volunteer dentists,” she said. “Without them we can’t see as many patients as we’d like to see. I’d love that office to be open at least four days a week.”

Right now, the clinic is open only once a week. The day of the week varies depending on when a volunteer dentist is available.

“Prior to the expansion we were serving anywhere from six to eight patients a day and it was twice a week,” Leon said. “Then we had two volunteer dentists who would alternate, so sometimes we’d be open three to four days a week."

Some patients were so desperate for dental care that they’d line up the evening before the clinic opened.

“Some of them are in pain – they’re swollen,” Leon said.

Carol Borchard, vice chair of the Salvation Army Oxnard/Port Hueneme, said that while the biggest need right now is for volunteer dentists, “all donations are gratefully accepted and people can earmark their donations for the dental clinic.”

Humphrey said the wait has been worth it.

“We’re here now; we want to make sure the community knows this is a fantastic place for people to collaborate with us to gain help and to help others,” he said. “Everybody has value. We want to restore that to each person at whatever level they’re looking. If they want a church, great, we have that. If they want better teeth, we have that.

“It’s restoring value to each member of our community.”

In addition to the Salvation Army’s dental clinic in Oxnard, another free dental clinic in Thousand Oaks is also seeking volunteers. The Conejo Free Clinic opened its first free dental clinic in Thousand Oaks, which is also recruiting volunteer dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants.

To volunteer at the Conejo Free Clinic’s dental clinic in Thousand Oaks, call 328-3100.

To volunteer at the Salvation Army’s dental clinic in Oxnard, located at 622 W. Wooley Road, call Elva Leon at 805-483-9235, ext. 1204, or email elva.leon@usw.salvationarmy.org. For more information on services provided at the clinic, call 805-483-9235.