The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation Continues Partnership With Central Arizona Shelter Services To Serve More Children At Its Pediatric Dental Center
PHOENIX (PRWEB) September 10, 2015 -- Central Arizona Shelter Services, Inc. (CASS) was recently awarded a second grant from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation in support of expanding services at the Parsons Center for Pediatric Dentistry at Murphy (Parsons Center). In Arizona, more than 40 percent of low-income children lack access to dental care and in the primary district they serve, the Murphy School District, nearly 50 percent of children live at or below the federal poverty level.
“Access to dental care is something all children deserve, regardless of background or insurance status,” said entrepreneur and philanthropist Bob Parsons. “Hundreds of at-risk children in Phoenix will receive quality care at The Parsons Center for Pediatric Dentistry.”
A unique model, the Parsons Center was designed to treat both insured and uninsured children. During the past year however, the number of uninsured patients has been much higher than expected. The recent $490,000 grant from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation will not only allow the clinic to continue serving children in need in the Murphy district but also expand its services to include children from other school districts in south Phoenix.
“We are thrilled that more children will have access to ongoing dental care and one-on-one oral health education, thanks to the generosity of Bob and Renee Parsons,” said CASS Dental Director Dr. Kris Volcheck, DDS, MBA. “We can now also provide more advanced treatment such as root canals, braces and surgery to repair cleft lips and palates, impacted teeth and other congenital or trauma-induced malformations.”
The Parsons Center is the first nonprofit pediatric specialty clinic in Maricopa County, providing dental care to children who are not eligible for Medicaid coverage, as well as those with AHCCCS-only coverage. Children insured through the state’s Medicaid program often exhibit the same degree of poor oral health as children who are uninsured due to the lack of dentists who accept AHCCCS coverage.
“Poor oral health is an epidemic among children living in poverty and we are happy to help curb that cycle by providing desperately needed dental care to underserved children in Phoenix,” added Renee Parsons.
Expansions at the Parsons Center will also allow for additional on-site orthodontic and oral surgery services in addition to the full array of preventative hygiene treatments and restorative care, such as cleanings and fillings, already provided. Children with complex dental care needs are referred to the Parsons Center from other community-based pediatric dental clinics around the Valley. The Parsons Center is expected to serve 15,000 unique children by 2017. To learn more, visit murphykidsdentalclinic.org.
About CASS
Ending homelessness has been at the heart of CASS’ work since 1984. CASS opened in response to the community’s need to provide emergency shelter for central Arizona’s homeless population, and today is the State’s largest provider of shelter and supportive services for the homeless. CASS shelters nearly 600 homeless men, women, and children each night and serves the needs of its clients through a continuum of programs including, case management, housing and employment services, veteran support services, youth and early childhood development programming and full service dentals clinics. The CASS Dental Clinic for the Homeless was opened by Dr. Kris Volcheck in 2001, and serves over 5,000 unduplicated homeless adults and children annually. It is the third largest provider of dental services to Veterans in the U.S.
About The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation
The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation inspires hope by providing critical funding at critical times to communities striving to make a difference. The Foundation primarily focuses on issues in the greater Phoenix area. The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation believes every person is entitled to an education, good nutrition, medical care, a stress-free, happy environment and the hope that they too, will share in the American Dream. The Foundation provides funding to nonprofit organizations that are successfully addressing these essential needs. The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation is also committed to the children of Haiti, helping to grow and improve schools, medical services and overall well-being for communities in rural Haiti. tbrpf.org.
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Media Contact: Lindsey Roberts | CASS | lroberts(at)cassaz(dot)org
Linsey Roberts, Central Arizona Shelter Services, http://www.cassaz.org, +1 480-694-2362, [email protected]
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