Statements
Mission
The mission of the Interfaith Dental is to create a healthier community by providing transformational oral health care for those experiencing poverty. Interfaith Dental was founded with the vision that every individual have the opportunity to achieve and sustain a healthy smile.
Background
In 1994, Dr. Tom Underwood, the Outreach Commission of West End United Methodist Church and the Nashville Dental Society founded Interfaith Dental Clinic to provide affordable dental care to working poor families and older adults who do not have dental insurance. The clinic began operation with two dental chairs and an entirely volunteer staff in the basement of the West End United Methodist Church. Soon after, the clinic hired its first staff person and current CEO, Dr. Rhonda Switzer-Nadasdi. Dr. Switzer-Nadasdi's vision and skills led her and the tiny clinic to quickly outgrow the two-chair broom closet. In 1998 IFDC successfully launched the clinic's first capital campaign. That year, Interfaith moved into it's own building and expanded capacity for delivering care. In 2006, the agency completed a second capital campaign to expand into the other half of the building and increase its patient services capacity by nearly 30%. The $1.2 million expansion campaign resulted in what was a ten operatory, state of the art dental facility. The clinic continues to grow. In February 2012, Interfaith opened a second site in Murfreesboro -Interfaith Dental Clinic of Rutherford County. After more than a decade in their own renovated clinic, community need led Interfaith to increase capacity and sustainability by opening a new clinic. Interfaith purchased, renovated and equipped their new space at 600 Hill Ave. occupying 10,000 square feet of the main floor, with non-profit partners/tenants Nurture the Next and Make-a-Wish Middle Tennessee occupying the top floor. All three non-profits share the lower level common spaces. The ribbon cutting for The Compassion Collaborative was held in May 2019. Interfaith currently employs a staff of 58 and holds the support of an established volunteer network of more than 180 professionals. Interfaith served 3,722 individuals through 14,014 patient visits and provided an estimated market value of just over $7 million in services last fiscal year.
Impact
Interfaith Dental creates a healthier, happier population. People who have suffered from oral disease for years before coming to the clinic experience a life-altering transformation in their overall physical, social, psychological and spiritual health through our services. By providing comprehensive and emergency dental care, the burden of the taxpayer is reduced as emergency room use for dental needs declines. Absenteeism from work and school due to dental pain and infection decreases and employment opportunities increase as people restore their smiles and their confidence. The impact of Interfaith's program is felt for generations to come as families learn proper oral hygiene and the importance of preventive dental care, breaking the cycle of poor oral health in their families and moving many out of poverty. This saves our community health dollars in the future. The goals of the Interfaith Dental are: To increase employability and work attendance by lessening pain and improving appearance. To educate patients about proper oral hygiene and nutrition so that they can keep their teeth for a lifetime and pass good habits onto family members. To improve patients' overall health, self esteem and quality of life through improved oral health. Interfaith Dental is a clinical training site for an Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residency program, through a partnership with NYU Langone. Oral surgery residents from Vanderbilt University provide care for more complex treatment plans.
Needs
Interfaith Dental provides affordable dental care for low-income families on a sliding fee scale, based on income and family size. It is therefore essential that we seek generous groups and individuals who want to partner and contribute funds to subsidize the cost of delivering this care. Volunteer dental professionals who are willing to provide care for patients either in-house (at Interfaith Dental) or in their own office are so valuable to us. We actively seek those professionals looking for an opportunity to serve in a way that creates long term impact by providing compassionate care to the most vulnerable in the community.
CEO Statement
30 years ago, Dr. Tom Underwood led a group of passionate individuals from West End United Methodist Church and the Nashville Dental Society that believed that families in Middle Tennessee shouldn't be held back from reaching their dreams because of dental disease, so they created Interfaith Dental, a volunteer led center for healing, transformation and prevention, where people experiencing dental disease and poverty can once again become superheroes in their own lives. Fast forward to today, and we're in a new collaborative hub, housing three charities where more lives can be impacted. We hope that the late Victor Johnson of Aladdin Industries is pleased that we have turned their corporate office into a place much like their company, where workers are nurtured and equally valued and customers are cared for beyond expectations. Our staff and volunteers serve our fellow Middle Tennesseans like family. And they are our family, big and diverse and wonderful and growing, which is why we need to continue to grow and fight for everyone's health. We fight for people like Amy. Amy had lived some life, her life and mouth were broken, she was embarrassed of her smile and knew it was affecting her ability to get full time work. You responded, and Amy now has a full-time job in retail that she loves. We fight for people like Fred who struggled financially and was his wife's caregiver and when he lost her, he also lost hope, as well as his own health. With you as health partners his diabetes is under control without medicine, his blood pressure is lower, and he enjoys chewing his food and smiling and says we saved his life. Dental disease does not happen in a vacuum, there are complex factors at work; stress, trauma, mental health and family function and so we must have a different approach and an equitable one. Join us - A smile can change everything.
Board Chair Statement
Interfaith Dental's impact extends well beyond the clinical episode. Since joining the great people at Interfaith, I've learned that giving someone back their smile gives them the confidence to be their best self. A smile is one of the first things you notice about a person, and the lack of a smile can have a detrimental impact on one's self-confidence and mental health. This is in addition to the physical pain that many people with poor dental health experience.
Countless lives have been transformed by the compassionate and restorative care that Interfaith provides our communities, regardless of someone's ability to pay.
Giving someone the gift of a smile, so that they can fulfill their dreams and maximize their potential, is an incredibly powerful service.
Interfaith's service to our communities and its positive impact can be expanded by your donation!
Please join us in making a difference!
Justin Coury, Board Chair
Service Categories |
|
| Primary Category: | Health Care - Community Clinics |
| Secondary Category: | - |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
Interfaith Dental has two clinics, serving ten Middle Tennessee Counties (Bedford, Cannon, Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson). Clinics are located in Nashville and Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Robertson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Bedford |
| TN - Cannon |
