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Get the most interesting and important stories from the 鶹ý.It’s 5 a.m. on a Friday, and Lavonne Hall has joined several hundred others waiting to receive free dental, vision and hearing care at the annual clinic.
The event is the signature program of A Call to Care, a nonprofit dedicated to improving access to health services for underserved populations. Now in its seventh year of providing free care, Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh fills a niche not typically covered by traditional U.S. health insurance.
The entirely-volunteer run event taps medical professionals, students from local universities and community members to pitch in. There’s a volunteer job for any skill set, from running medical triage to managing the snack table. This year, more than 1 in 5 volunteers was Pitt-affiliated.
Hall was one of the 1,676 patients to receive care Nov. 1-2. It was her third time attending a Mission of Mercy event; she had her teeth cleaned and her hearing evaluated and she received a new prescription for glasses.
“I tell everybody about Mission of Mercy. It’s an awesome, uplifting experience knowing the staff are volunteers,” she said. “Considering everything that’s going on in the world right now, it’s given me a new respect for people.”
Rick Celko, Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh dental director and chief dental officer of UPMC Health Plan, describes volunteering at the clinic as an “overlap of appreciation” between the volunteers and the people who are treated.
“We feel valued by being able to help people,” he said.
Three clinics, two days
The day before the clinic, volunteers and David L. Lawrence Convention Center employees fitted the first floor of the center into a 100-bed dental clinic with autoclaves, microscopes and panoramic X-ray machines — a full-service area for cleanings, fillings, root canals, partial dentures and specialized pediatric care.
Also sharing the first floor was a vision hub equipped for both sight evaluations and screenings. Patients who are issued a prescription for glasses receive their new pair at a pickup location a few weeks post clinic. Those who can’t make the pickup day are mailed their new glasses.
Attendees who don’t believe they are in need of vision support could still benefit from an eye screening, said , Mission of Mercy vision clinic coordinator and professor of ophthalmology in the 鶹ý of Medicine.
“If you don’t do the preventative work for diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, by the time a person comes in with decreased vision, it will be much harder to help them,” he said. “Those are two conditions that are overrepresented in underserved communities.”
Tucked away from the hubbub in a quiet corner on the third floor was the hearing clinic. Attendees underwent hearing testing, and those in need of support were supplied hearing aids and taught how to wear them and connect them to their cellphones.
“Until people have adequate access to hearing care, Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh is really important,” said Catherine Palmer, hearing clinic coordinator and chair of Pitt’s Department of Communication Science and Disorders. “Communication is fundamental to well-being, and hearing is fundamental to communication for most people.”
“Seeing people walk out of the clinic with hearing aids, you can see the difference on their faces. They are completely joyful — it’s in their smile and in their eyes,” said volunteer Kelsey Dougherty, a second-year doctoral audiology student in the 鶹ý of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
Before attending Mission of Mercy, Sam Guarino (SCI ’11G), thought there was a notable difference between the hearing in his left and right ears. An exam confirmed his hunch and he was outfitted with a hearing aid.
“To have this extra benefit in addition to my Pitt education is awesome,” he said.
Planning for the annual Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh event is an almost year-round affair, said Celko, who in addition to overseeing the dental clinic co-founded A Call to Care along with Daniel Pituch, chief of oral and maxillofacial surgery at UPMC Shadyside and UPMC Mercy, and Michael Zamagias, a Pittsburgh-based entrepreneur.
“Once the clinic is over, we do a month of breathing — and then we get right back into it and start thinking about next year,” Celko said.
Photography by Tom Altany