Free dental clinic aims to improve dental care of Black men
Aaron Perry, founder and CEO of the Madison, Wisconsin-based Rebalanced-Life Wellness Association, opened the Perry Family Free Dental Clinic on Dec. 7 to provide tooth cleanings, fluoride treatments, and oral cancer screenings.
A Wisconsin nonprofit is continuing its mission of improving the health and wellness of Black people, particularly men.
According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the Perry Family Free Dental Clinic opened on Dec. 7 inside the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County’s location in Fitchburg, roughly six miles from Madison. Like other Perry Family ventures, it aims to provide preventative treatment while addressing gaps in healthcare access.
“It’s the next, gradual progression of what we’re trying to do to keep Black men healthy in our community,” said Aaron Perry, founder and CEO of Rebalanced-Life Wellness Association, the nonprofit that provides the free services.
Perry, a former University of Wisconsin-Madison police officer with diabetes, founded the nonprofit wellness group in 2007 to assist other Black men with the disease.
In addition to the new dental clinic, the Rebalanced-Life Wellness Association operates two free medical clinics and an education center geared toward improving Black men’s health.
According to Madison 365, at the launch of the dental clinic, Perry recounted how SSM Health hospital was instrumental in building what would become the first clinic dedicated to bridging health and wellness gaps.
He said the hospital was closing their old clinic to build a new one when he reached out and informed them about his plan for the Perry Family Free Clinic, which could use all their old medical beds and cabinets. They, in response, “blessed us with that and told us to come and get everything you need.”
The Perry Family Free Dental Clinic will also be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16. Perry said organizers will decide when the clinic will resume after the holiday break.
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Pew reported that communities of color have more significant rates of tooth decay and tooth loss, and fewer dental visits and preventative treatments compared to white populations, which is attributed, in part, to economic hardship limiting many individuals’ access to dental treatment.
According to the Journal, two dental hygienists will initially staff the clinic and provide tooth cleanings, fluoride treatments, and oral cancer screenings. Perry hopes to retain a dentist to provide dental care eventually.
During the grand opening, Perry praised AmeriCorps personnel Joseph Roy, who will support the new dental expansion and has served as the director of the Perry Family Free Clinic, and Erica Olsen, who will be one of the clinic’s dental hygienists and has worked with Perry to close gaps in dental care with uninsured or underinsured people, according to Madison 365.
“It’s virtually impossible to have controlled diabetes if you have uncontrolled periodontal disease,” explained Olsen. “It’s chronic inflammation in the mouth, so anytime you are fighting any sort of chronic inflammation, it increases your risk for stroke, heart attack, and all the things. That’s really our goal in practice is to educate our patients to have a healthy mouth so they can have an overall healthier life.”
Perry celebrated the free clinics’ success in reaching 7,400 Black men for preventative care and health exams over the previous six years. He also thanked the Wisconsin Partnership Program for their assistance in obtaining the grants that enabled the dental clinic’s efforts. He shared that the clinic received a $300,000 community collaboration and community impact grant.
“That really put us over the top, and once we received that, we said that this community will not look the same in five years,” said Perry, Madison 365 reported. I think we’re on pace for that. It gives me great pleasure that now we have medical, behavioral health, and we rounded out with dental care.”
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