Dentists James Szarko and Richard Newhart discuss MOM

PARKERSBURG -Impressed by the participation of a free dental clinic in the Eastern Panhandle, a pair of local agencies have announced a Mission of Mercy Clinic for the Mid-Ohio Valley.

Dentists James Szarko and Richard Newhart spoke to the Parkersburg Rotary Club Monday about the Mission of Mercy (M.O.M.) Dental Clinic program and to solicit volunteers. The program is co-sponsored by the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley and the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department.

The idea sprung from a program last year at Hedgesville High School.

"This is what we would like our community to do for our people," Szarko said.

Newhart said the Hedgesville clinic was the largest free dental clinic in the state. Dentists from all over the state, along with assistance from dental associations in Virginia and North Carolina, converged on Hedgesville to treat more than 1,100 patients over a two-day period.

The Mission of Mercy clinic in the Mid-Ohio Valley will be at the end of July at West Virginia University-Parkersburg.

Newhart said there are few places in the area able to accommodate such a crowd. He credited WVU-P for providing the clinic space to work.

Newhart said they hope to treat from 1,000-1,200 people at the MOV event. The two-day clinic will be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 31 and Aug. 1.

The clinic has no income requirements.

Joyce Mather, executive director of the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley, said funding for the program is being provided by an anonymous United Way donor.

"We are dealing with immediate treatment," Szarko said of the clinic.

He said dentists would focus on extractions, cleanings and fillings.

"People who are in pain," Szarko said.

Mather said the clinic will not be an annual event.

"We haven't determined how frequently we are going to have it," she said.

The program is seeking an array of volunteers, including dental professionals, medical professionals and community volunteers. Mather said the program will need about 700 volunteers, in addition to the more than 100 dental professionals.

She said one Boy Scout group has signed on to volunteer.

Szarko said they have already gotten about 200 patients signed up for screenings. The prescreenings are done by local dentists prior to the start of the clinic.

For more information contact Mary Beth Shea at Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department.