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Georgetown, SC (November 17, 2020) – Helping Hands of Georgetown has been awarded a $30,000 oral health grant from Delta Dental of South Carolina, a leading dental benefits provider and a non-profit organization. The funding allows Helping Hands to expand its free dental clinic to a Day Clinic to provide preventive and restorative services to those in need.

“With the support of Delta Dental of South Carolina and other matching funds, we are now able to open our Day Clinic an additional day each week and funds will be used to purchase the equipment for root canals,” states Brendon Barber, Executive Director of Helping Hands of Georgetown. “The grant funds are used toward personnel, supplies and capital improvements. We are grateful for the support from Delta Dental of South Carolina.” Helping Hands will receive matching funds and support from Tidelands Health, St. James Health and Wellness Center, and private donors.

“Since opening the day clinic (one day a week), there is a backlog of patients on a waiting list for dental care. One effect of the COVID-19 pandemic closed our clinic from early March to June 1. In order to meet the needs of providing dental care, the plan is to open the day clinic an additional day each week. The goal is to open two days a week and continue our Thursday extraction clinic using a volunteer dentist,” said Tracy Jones, Operations Manager for Helping Hands. “We are so appreciative of Delta Dental for their support.”

In addition, the Delta Dental grant will be used to purchase equipment to offer root canals. Helping Hands plans to be open two days a week starting in January 2020.

Helping Hands of Georgetown Dental Clinic is open Thursday evenings for extractions and every Friday from 8AM to 2PM for preventive and restorative care. “We have 20 volunteer dentists, who on a rotating basis, serve our Thursday evening extraction clinic,” states Brendon Barber.

The Helping Hands free dental clinic was created in 2013 to provide oral health care access to the underserved in Georgetown County. The target population is the uninsured who are experiencing situation or generational poverty.

For more information about the dental services, visit https://www.helpinghandsofgeorgetown.org/programs/dental-clinic/.

About Delta Dental of South Carolina
Delta Dental of South Carolina is a trade name of Delta Dental of Missouri, a dental benefits provider and a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, which operates in South Carolina under that name. It provides more than 338,000 members in South Carolina with access to affordable, high-quality dental care through group plans tailored to meet the needs of organizations of all sizes, from large corporations to small businesses with two or more employees. Delta Dental also offers dental benefit plans directly to individuals and families. The company proudly supports oral health initiatives, educational programs and charitable causes that help educate people about the importance of dental health and provide free dental care to those in need. It also created the South Carolina Dental Care Resource Guide to help individuals access information about low-cost and free dental care options in their area—available online at https://www.DeltaDentalSC.com/ResourceGuide1. To learn more about the company, visit www.DeltaDentalSC.com.

About Helping Hands of Georgetown, Inc.
Helping Hands of Georgetown, Inc. was established in 1989 through the extraordinary vision of founding board members representing 40 Covenant Churches in Georgetown County, South Carolina, who felt they could better help residents by supporting one organization that would exist to assess and determine an adequate response to the many needs that arise in this primarily rural and poverty-ridden area of South Carolina. In a spiritually rich environment of compassionate caring, Helping Hands of Georgetown offers HOPE, HELP and CHANGE.

To learn more about Helping Hands of Georgetown, please visit www.HelpingHandsOfGeorgetown.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Pictured left to right- Day Clinic Staff (Left to Right) Shayesha Holcomb, hygienist, Halsey Blevins, dental assistant, and Dr, Nikki Nguyen, dentist