Christ the Redeemer Church in Sterling hosted a free dental clinic Nov. 15, sponsored by the nonprofit Hope for Tomorrow. Since 2005, Hope for Tomorrow has hosted the dental clinic for those in Northern Virginia who cannot afford dental insurance and dental care.
“Every person you see here is 100% volunteer,” said Loc Nguyen, nonprofit director of finance and a Christ the Redeemer parishioner.
The nonprofit reported that 150 patients were assisted, including walk-ins. “We try to not turn anyone away,” Nguyen said. The clinic operates like a well-oiled machine. After patients checked in, volunteers took their blood pressure. From there, they underwent a dental screening and received a colored wristband indicating their dental needs: a red wristband for an extraction, yellow for a filling, and green for a cleaning. Dental x-rays were available, and a separate station administered numbing agents for specific procedures. A disinfectant station with specialized machines cleaned metal dental tools, which volunteers carefully wiped and repackaged for their next use.
Nguyen said that the procedures, including extractions and fillings, typically cost thousands of dollars. The clinic is not limited to adults; children also receive care from a pediatric dentist. By the end of the day, the total value of the free dental cleanings and procedures exceeded $61,500, according to the nonprofit.
The clinic is facilitated by a large team of doctors, dental assistants and community volunteers numbering more than 170. Medical students from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond; University of Maryland, Baltimore; and Howard University in Washington participate as well. A large kitchen team works around the clock to feed the hungry volunteers.
MaryAnna Nguyen, Nguyen’s daughter, has been participating since second grade.
“The whole organization is basically like a second family to me,” she said. She said that many in her generation, Gen Z, take health care and insurance for granted, “whereas some people in other areas, they’re not able to get that … Everyone deserves equal equity to health care and medical access.”
