The Pocatello Free Clinic’s mission is “to promote health and wellness by providing quality services, at no charge, to people without access to basic care.” It is the oldest free clinic in Idaho and has served uninsured patients of SE Idaho since 1971.
Beside providing episodic primary care services, for the past six years the Pocatello Free Clinic has provided basic preventative and restorative dental care in a functional dental operatory that was assembled from donated equipment. Productivity of volunteer dentists and dental hygienists is impaired by the use of dated manual instruments and aging diagnostic and sterilization equipment.
Dated equipment and instruments prolong turnaround times between dental procedures and dental hygiene treatments. Manual scaling is much more time-consuming than ultrasonic instruments and is inadequate for those with advanced periodontal disease. The existing autoclave is too small and slow, impeding procedure turnaround time. The current dental x-ray processor is unreliable and requires continuous maintenance.
The Portneuf Health Care Foundation granted the Pocatello Free Clinic $25,000 to be put towards updated dental-care equipment and instruments that will undoubtedly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their limited volunteer providers. The Foundation supports the mission of the Free Clinic and understands their importance in a taking care of uninsured members of our community.
