Chris’s message to his legislators—and you
Smile! You are helping change the course of people’s lives through dental care.
Chris Mehl, client and advocate, testified to the Maryland General Assembly this year about the quality dental care he receives thanks to you. Here is what he said to our elected officials in Annapolis:
Thank you for this opportunity to tell you about myself and what the Health Care for the Homeless dental care program has meant to me. I come to you from a spiritual recovery program based in Baltimore, where I have lived since June 2016. I went through a difficult period following a divorce and failed business in 2009 that made me aware that I needed to make a change in my life. After entering my recovery program, I was in desperate need of dental care. One of my counselors advised me to connect with Health Care for Homeless. The caring and warm staff were conscientious and attentive over the course of over a dozen appointments, culminating in a new smile that has changed my life.
When I started my care, I had no confidence in myself because of my dental needs. After concluding my dental care, I gained back my sense of self-worth as a person. I have since been to school for a change of career, graduating from All-State with a CDL license, which has started me on a trucking career with one of the premier trucking companies in the country. The dental program at Health Care for the Homeless has been an integral part of my rebirth—gaining not only a good job, but also the gift of loving myself and being a productive part of my community. I cannot thank Health Care for the Homeless enough for giving me my life back.
Chris is just one of 1,400 people who benefited from our dental care last year. Chris saw a dentist at our West Baltimore clinic. Thanks to you, we also operate dental suites at our downtown clinic and Our Daily Bread Employment Center. These are the only spots in Maryland where any person experiencing homelessness can get dental care regardless of insurance or ability to pay.
On November 27, every #GivingTOOTHday gift gives clients like Chris the dental care they desparately need.
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Before joining Health Care for the Homeless as Registered Nurse Case Manager, Alex James, RN, LMSW, (left) completed a internship under the guidance of Clinical Program Manager II Tammy Montague, PhD, LCSW-C (right). “I didn’t know that a workplace could be this supportive,” Alex reflects on their internship with supervisor Tammy.