Nearly 8 years ago, a small group of doctors and nurses organized the Ellsworth Free Clinic. Since that time, the clinic has provided approximately $250,000 worth of services to nearly 800 patients who are uninsured, low income residents of the Hancock County area.
Over the years, numerous patients presented for treatment dental problems so severe that they has caused significant health problems. In an effort to provide these patients the care they needed, the Free Clinic organized the Ellsworth Free Dental Clinic, following the general format of the Free Medical Clinic, i.e., volunteer staff and a donated office space. Eleven clinics were held and many people helped.
It became apparent that the community's unmet dental care needs vastly exceeded the capacity of the Free Dental Clinic's provided service (the waiting list was closed to new entries after over 200 people requested care in less than one month). A community forum was organized to explore the issue. From that forum, the Hancock County Dental Access Coation was organized to work toward making dental care, both preventive and representative, more accessible to many of those people who needed but could not obtain such care.