Mobile Dental Unit Earns National Recognition from Mutual of America Financial Group

Luncheon and award presentation to salute program helping address barriers preventing West Virginians in rural communities from accessing preventive dental care and treatment.

News provided by

Mutual of America Financial Group

Feb 19, 2020, 13:55 ET

NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WV Health Right, Inc., will be recognized by Mutual of America Financial Group for its Mobile Dental Unit program during a special event at the Clay Center in Charleston on February 20 at 12:00 p.m.

The program was named an Honorable Mention award recipient in the Mutual of America 2019 Community Partnership Award competition, which received entries from organizations nationwide.

In 2017, WV Health Right, Inc. collaborated with local nonprofit, education, government and dental partners to create the Mobile Dental Unit. The program provides preventive and restorative dental services, including dentures, both to low-income adults who are either uninsured or have Medicaid or Medicare, and to veterans ineligible for dental care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Mobile Dental Unit, housed in a fully equipped trailer with three treatment chairs, travels with dental hygienists and technicians across six rural counties on a weekly rotation. The Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine staffs the vehicle with a faculty dentist and dental residents, giving students a unique opportunity to apply their skills beyond the classroom and incorporate diversity in learning. Other partners provide on-site access to the internet and utilities at no cost to the program.

"In just two years, the Mobile Dental Unit has provided more than $2.2 million worth of care to over 5,000 adults. We're already seeing marked success in terms of improved oral hygiene, reduced oral-related infection and oral-related emergency department visits, and a decrease in the number of workdays missed due to oral pain and infection," said Dr. Angie Settle, DNP, West Virginia Health Right's CEO and Executive Director. "By filling a void in West Virginia's healthcare safety net, the Mobile Dental Unit also provides a measure of comfort, support and social justice for our state's most vulnerable citizens."

About the Mutual of America Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Community Partnership Award annually honors the outstanding contributions that nonprofit organizations, in partnership with public, private and other social sector organizations, make to society. Since 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 240 partnerships from cities and towns across America. To watch videos of all of the national award-winning programs, visit the Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award channel on YouTube.

About Mutual of America

Mutual of America is a leading provider of retirement products, offering personalized service at a competitive price to help plan participants and individuals build and preserve assets for a financially secure future. Integrity, prudence and reliability are the values that have guided us since our inception in 1945 and that continue to serve us well. For more information, visit mutualofamerica.com, and connect with us via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Mutual of America Financial Group