NMDA Journal Winter 2020-21

22 New Mexico Dental Journal, Winter 2020-21 NewMexico Dental Association Foundation Highlights By Art Montoya, NMDA Foundation Board President This year had been unprece- dented and challenging for everyone. Although 2020 brought along a lot of fear, uncertainty, and pain, it also provided time for growth and intro- spection, while requiring a great deal of creativ- ity, strength, and collaboration. Early in the pandemic, NMDAF had the privilege of distributing our stock of PPE to UNMHospital and the National Guard to help frontline workers stay safe. This was the first of several ways we adapted to expand ser- vices to our community during the coronavirus pandemic. Whilewewere unable to provide face-to-face dental care to communities in need throughout most of 2020, we dedicated ourselves to the creation of our Oral Health Education Program. NMDAF partneredwith Bernalillo county, Deming public schools, Road Runner Food Bank, Roswell schools, and Las Vegas, NMSamaritan House shelter to provide about 2,500 low income families across the statewith oral health educationmaterials and hygiene supplies for children. These supplies included toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, and a timer. We hope that this not only allowed for immediate assistance in oral health hygiene, but also provided crucial information on additional dental services available to those in need. In September, NMDAF held our first ever Denture Clinic. This clinic pro- vided 25 NewMexican’s with new smiles in just one day. NMDAF staff and volunteer dentists worked tirelessly to provide services in a COVID safe environment. Their commitment and care resulted in $67,554.60 in donated treatment. In November, NMDAF hosted a virtual Zoomwebinar for pre-dental stu- dents throughout the state. This event was sponsored by Brycon, Capi- tal Strategies, Patterson Dental, and Dr. Michael Sparks, DDS. Dr. Sparks and colleagues spoke to students about their clinical and prac- tice management experiences. UNM and NMSU Pre-Dental Society presidents also provided updates during this meeting. In early Fall, our Executive Director Kelley Tredwin resigned her position, and Trish Rule was named our Interim Executive Director. She and her staff have jumped right in and made the transition a smooth one. The rest of the Board and myself are looking forward to moving the organization forward not only getting back to putting on our MOM clinics, but finding other ways such as the denture clinic to serve the patients that need our services. As everyone is, we are hoping for a 2021 to be amore “normal” year for all of us. New Mexico Mission of Mercy Pop-up clinics are held 2–4 times a year across New Mexico. Services are free. We provide dental care, medical care, vision screenings, and oral health education. Donated Dental Services We restore healthy smiles for low-income people. In DDS, we work with veterans, elderly, disabled, and medically compromised people to restore a healthy mouth. NM Smiles: Dental Days Free dental treatment days hosted in local community dentists' offices. Dentist volunteers provide cleanings, fillings, and other preventative oral health care. Emerging Dental Leaders We support dental students and new dentists through mentoring, job shadowing, business workshops, leadership training, and volunteer opportunities. Ways to give back and volunteer. Please consider volunteering! For more information, go to www.nmdentalfoundation.org or contact Trish Rule at trule@nmdaf.org or 505-298-7206 ext 201.