Maria Perez faced the dilemma of not being able to take her son to a dentist for a check-up because she couldn’t afford dental care. Much to her surprise, she was referred to the Assistance League of Whittier, the local division of the national charity which organizes various philanthropic and educational programs at area schools. The Assistance League of Whittier is known to provide dental care at an extremely low cost. The program presently serves approximately 60 youngsters.
According to league volunteer Margaret Gould, in order to qualify the student’s family must not be a member of any registered dental insurance. After the child is referred to the program by school aides, the parents are interviewed by a league volunteer in order to gather information about the child’s health history. The first dental appointment can then be set up after this.
Gould cited that league volunteers do the paperwork regarding appointments for dentists. They also remind the parents of children illegible for the program about scheduled dental visits as well as the $10 fee for each visit. League volunteers also stay with the children’s parents during each appointment just in case assistance with the youngsters is needed.
The volunteer dentists in return, are being paid $100 per hour by the league for an hour or two of treatment. From these, the league annually sets aside $10,000 for each dental program.
Gould said that parents have been so appreciative, and as league volunteers, their efforts never go unnoticed.
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