Chapman Partnership and Health Foundation Team Together in Support of Oral Health Care for Miami-Dade County’s Homeless Population

MIAMI, FL – Chapman Partnership, Miami-Dade County’s primary intake facility for the homeless, recently received a $30,000 grant from Health Foundation of South Florida to help support medical costs affiliated with the provision of oral health care for homeless men, women and children offered through Chapman Partnership’s onsite Mobile Dental Unit.

The Mobil Dental Unit, a 40’ long dental office on wheels created in 2005 through support from the North Dade Medical Foundation, provides essential oral health care to approximately 1,400 Miami-Dade County homeless individuals annually. The community cost savings of the serious oral health procedures provided that divert homeless clients from using an emergency room setting is approximately $300,000 annually.

Chapman Partnership estimates that one-half of its 5,000 annual clients are negatively impacted by gum disease. Malnutrition, poor oral hygiene, tobacco use and trauma wreak havoc on the oral and general health of homeless people. Too often grossly decayed and missing teeth disfigure the faces of the 800 homeless persons who daily access temporary housing and supportive services at Chapman Partnership’s two Homeless Assistance Centers located in Midtown Miami and Homestead. Exacerbating these problems is financial barriers to treatment, an insufficient supply of dental providers willing to treat them, and a lack of transportation.

“The rampant tooth decay that we’ve found in our underprivileged population is one of the leading causes of poor overall health. The inclusion of oral health care into our current medical triage has enabled us to reduce the wait time to access appointments for the underserved and uninsured, and reduce the distance they have to travel to access culturally appropriate care,” said H. Daniel Vincent, President & CEO of Chapman Partnership.

The collaboration between Chapman Partnership, Health Foundation of South Florida, and other private and public sector sources, provides the perfect vehicle for increasing access to critically needed dental care for our community’s homeless population.

For more information on Chapman Partnership, the Homeless Assistance Center or the Mobile Dental Unit, please call 305.329.3066, or visit the website, www.chapmanpartnership.org.

Chapman Partnership was founded in 1993 and operates as the primary private sector partner to the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust. The service mission of Chapman Partnership is to provide comprehensive services to empower our homeless residents to become self-sufficient. Chapman Partnership is commissioned by the Homeless Trust to raise private sector funding necessary to implement the Homeless Plan, and to operate two Homeless Assistance Centers that provide an average of 47-to-60 days of stabilization and comprehensive needs assessment to 5,000 clients annually. This partnership has been continually recognized nationally as a best practice model for its comprehensive approach to helping the homeless, including recognition by former U.S. Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martinez and Andrew Cuomo, and two former Florida Governors.

Health Foundation of South Florida, a nonprofit grant making organization, is dedicated to improving health in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. By funding providers and supporting programs to promote health and prevent disease, the Foundation makes a measurable and sustainable impact in the health of individuals and families. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $106 million in grants and program support. For more information, please call 305.374.7200 or visit the website, www.hfsf.org

###

For more information contact:
Victoria Hopta, Grants Management Consultant
Phone: 305.443.9730