Senior Charity Care Foundation has been participating in the State Primary Care Grants Program (SPCGP) since 2015 and their Mobile Dental Clinics have proven to reduce transportation, motivation and cost barriers to obtaining oral healthcare for seniors in Utah. By bringing the oral healthcare to the seniors where they live at a reduced cost, and in a caring and compassionate way, they are reducing the three biggest barriers to care: transportation, cost and motivation. Thanks to the SPCGP and other entities, they were able to serve 497 medically underserved seniors in poverty in 2017 and have a lofty goal of serving 1,000 seniors before the end of 2018.
Many of the seniors they serve have no other option than to visit a hospital for routine care that they could have otherwise received through SCCF. This is certainly costlier to the taxpayer than the public funding allocated for the Primary Care program.
Why Our Work is so Important
The demand for our services is massive and will only continue to grow. According to Census data and research published by the University of Utah, in the next 25 years, Utah’s aged 65-plus population will double. Gaps in Medicare and Medicaid coverage for basic items like dental care causes seniors in poverty to go without needed healthcare. Without teeth, seniors have a more difficult time eating solid, healthy food and they are less likely to interact with society because they are embarrassed by their smile. This exacerbates symptoms of depression and diminishes their quality of life.
Visit their website at http://www.seniorcharitycarefoundation.org/