Dental van provides help on campus
ASUCC Student Leadership aids students in need of dental work
The dental van is a relief program that visits the college campus multiple times a year. The dental van offers small procedures such as tooth extractions and fillings for free.
“ASUCC Student Leadership pays $700 to bring the van to campus. On average the van provides $3000 worth of service in the form of evaluations, x-rays, amalgams, resin, sedatives, and extractions,” Director of Student Life Marjan Coester said.
The van has been coming on a regular basis since spring 2011. It makes an appearance once a quarter, except summer.
This term the van will be in the parking lot between Jacoby Auditorium and Whipple Fine Arts Nov. 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Potential patients are required to fill out an application for processing and review in order to be seen. Students are selected based on need for critical dental work. Completing an application does not guarantee an appointment as the availability of appointments is very limited.
“I review the applications with the van staff to determine who has the greatest need prior to setting up an appointment,” Coester said.
Some requirements a student must meet in order to qualify are a student may not have dental insurance, must not be seeing a dentist and the household income before taxes must be under 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
Any student interested in utilizing the dental van should contact Marjan Coester at 541-440-7749 or marjan.coester@umpqua.edu. Applications are due prior to Nov. 17.
A possible second visit in early December is in the works.