Dental clinic’s relocation elicits big smiles in OKC
After a four-year capital campaign, Neighborhood Services Organization (NSO) has opened the doors on its new, state-of-the-art dental clinic at 431 SW 11th St. in Oklahoma City.
The agency was closed for two weeks in September while moving both the clinic and the agency’s central offices from its temporary location to the new building in the historic Riverside Neighborhood. NSO has roots in The United Methodist Church and receives Apportionment funds and other UM support.
"We are so excited to be back to work," said Alan McDonald, NSO’s director of dentistry. "The calls for our services didn’t stop while were moving, so I’m ready to get back to serving Oklahoma’s underinsured, uninsured, and in-need."
The dental clinic provides more than 6,500 procedures each year. There are approximately 1 million Oklahomans without dental insurance, and Oklahoma ranks last among states in which adults have seen a dentist in the previous year. These startling facts are why NSO has a commitment to providing low-cost dental care to anyone who needs services.
The clinic saw its first patients at the new site on Oct. 1. It is open for weekday and Saturday appointments.
"NSO dental clinic is a vital part of the oral health safety net in Oklahoma County, and our foundation is proud to have partnered with it for the past seven years," said John Gladden, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Oklahoma and chairman of its Oral Health Foundation.
"This nonprofit clinic makes care accessible to many low-income patients who would have no other way to afford the treatment they need."
NSO has a 95-year tradition of offering help to those who need it most. Other programs include transitional and permanent housing, rental assistance, and WIC (women, infants, and children) clinics.
A dental patient tests the chair in an exam room during a recent tour of NSO’s new dental clinic in Oklahoma City. Standing are Laura Gutierrez, left, clinic manager, and John Gladden, president of Delta Dental.