UCSF Community Health Clinic-Oral Health Services is a student-run organization composed of students and faculty from the UCSF School of Dentistry that is dedicated to serve the homeless population in the San Francisco area. In conjunction with the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, this clinic provides free care to patients with no homes, health insurance, or the financial means to obtain quality health care. Our hope is to provide as much care as possible to the homeless population in San Francisco.
The UCSF Community Health Clinic-Oral Health Services was started by four senior dental students in 1993. Each year, approximately 75 dental and dental hygiene students participate in this activity. The program is officially recognized by the school and is assigned a course number and a faculty director. The course includes seminars on issues of homelessness and enables students to provide selected oral health services.
Funding of this program presently comes from donations, grants from the UCSF Associated Dental Student, grants from the UCSF campus student registration fees, the School of Dentistry Parnassus Club(alumni), and the School of Dentistry itself.
There are about 2-3 million homeless people in the United States and homelessness is on the rise. Their minimal access to health care further decreases subsequent to the increase in their population. Therefore, people who are in the greatest need of care do not always access it like they should. Our program provides them with such an environment. The students, under faculty supervision, perform screenings, restorations, cleanings, health education, and palliative care. These services not only provide the homeless with better oral health, but also motivate them to take an active role in the care of their general well-being.
Students and faculty participating in this program are able to give something very precious back to their community. A student once said that by providing quality dental care in a respectful manner to their homeless clientele, the experience serves to remind them why they are in dental school. Indeed, words spoken from the heart enter the heart. The clinic has emphasized the true meaning of being a health professional.
The UCSF Community Health Clinic-Oral Health Services has received several awards including Warner-Lambert Community Health Award, Semi-finalist for Health & Human Services Innovative Community Health Project (sponsored by the US Federal Government), and honorable mention for community health by the American Association of Public Health Dentistry.
We ask for your help to continue and further the success of this program. For more information about the history of the UCSF Community Health Clinic-Oral Health Services and its future projects, you may visit us on the internet or through our voicemail. We appreciate your attention to this exceptional community endeavor.
Laski Kung
Class of 2002
Second Year Coordinator (Endowment)
UCSF Community Health Clinic Oral Health Services