BY MELANIE BUCK –
Healthy Connections, Inc., in Mena has received a grant from the Blue & You Foundation in the amount of $54,618 to provide emergency dental care and education to residents in Polk County. The Foundation recently awarded a total of $2,674,119 in grants to 35 health improvement programs in Arkansas. “Our grants this year went to programs across the state that address such issues as nutrition and exercise, dental and mental health, and medical professional education,” said Patrick O’Sullivan, executive director of the Blue & You Foundation.
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield established the Blue & You Foundation in 2001 as charitable foundation to promote better health in Arkansas. The Blue & You Foundation awards grants annually to non-profit or governmental organizations and programs that positively affect the health of Arkansans.
In its 13 years of operation, the Blue & You Foundation has awarded nearly $22 million to 584 health improvement programs in Arkansas.
Patients with no dental insurance that need emergency dental care will be able to receive limited exams, x-rays, and non-surgical extractions. The program will only be available one Friday per month for four months beginning January 30 and continuing on February 27, March 27, and April 24, from 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., each day.
Patients will be served on a first-come, first-serve basis. You will be required to complete dental forms, which can be picked up at Healthy Connections, 136 Health Park Drive, Mena, Monday thru Thursday, 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Free follow up vouchers will be provided after the initial exam.
Tony Calandro, CEO of Healthy Connections, Inc., said, “This is a way for us to give to the community, provide a benefit to the community, especially on the dental side since we do so much on the medical side.”
About Author
Jeri Pearson
Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.
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