Sonrisas Dental Health and Samaritan House are collaborating in a unique pilot project to increase the availability of dental services to more underserved people in San Mateo County.
“We are separate non-profits but we share the goal of serving the underserved in San Mateo County,” says Dr. Bonnie Jue, CEO and Dental Director of Sonrisas Dental Health.
Samaritan House has high demand for free dental services and has begun using Sonrisas’ San Mateo facility at 430 North El Camino Real to serve more Samaritan patients, as of June 13. Sonrisas Dental Health has a mixed service model allowing the organization to serve people with standard dental insurance while providing more affordable services to low-income individuals and families in Half Moon Bay and San Mateo.
Sonrisas Dental has a spacious San Mateo dental facility. Among the features are a ceiling-mounted lift system to aid patients with limited mobility into a dental chair, and “hover” chairs that can glide aside to accommodate patients in wheelchairs.
The pilot agreement is for three months and will treat approximately 20 adults.
“I’m proud to see an innovative dental service such as Sonrisas make its facility available for Samaritan House to serve people who can’t afford to pay for essential oral health care,” says Carole Groom, San Mateo County Supervisor. “It’s the latest example of how collaborative San Mateo County is.”
Bart Charlow, CEO, Samaritan House, adds, “Samaritan House and Sonrisas working together toward dental health for our hard-working low-income families can only produce a lot of smiles, literally.”
Samaritan House Free Clinic patients should contact Samaritan House to schedule appointments.
About Sonrisas Dental Health
Sonrisas Dental Health is a non-profit community dental center operating in two sites: the Coastside Center located in Half Moon Bay, which is the original location that opened in 2001, and the San Mateo Center. The two centers have served thousands of San Mateo County residents since joining together in 2015 and are dedicated to a common vision and mission – providing compassionate, quality dental care for people of all ages, including those who experience physical, developmental or economic challenges.
Sonrisas serves San Mateo County with support earned from private insurance and donations from generous individuals, businesses, foundations and philanthropic groups. Our name means smiles. For more information, visit sonrisasdental.org.
About Samaritan House
Since 1974, Samaritan House has become San Mateo’s leading non-profit that brings a new level of hope, dignity, and empowerment to people living in poverty as they fulfill immediate needs and guide people toward self-reliance. Recognized as a role model in the community, Samaritan House is the largest food distribution agency in the county. Other free services include shelter and housing assistance; medical and dental clinics; clothes for children; personalized case management and much more. For more information, visit www.samaritanhousesanmateo.org.
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