{"id":3593,"date":"2022-10-31T08:55:48","date_gmt":"2022-10-31T13:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aae.org\/foundation\/?p=3593"},"modified":"2022-11-08T13:48:26","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T19:48:26","slug":"the-foundations-access-to-care-funds-philadelphias-fight-clinic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aae.org\/foundation\/2022\/10\/31\/the-foundations-access-to-care-funds-philadelphias-fight-clinic\/","title":{"rendered":"The Foundation’s Access-to-Care Funds Philadelphia’s FIGHT Clinic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

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Spotlight on Dr. Tina Chou<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Following her endo residency at Tufts, Dr. Tina Chou sought out a volunteer opportunity on returning to Philadelphia. Her school contacts brought her to Philadelphia FIGHT, a Federally Qualified Heath Center (FQHC) founded in 1990 to serve people living with HIV, their partners and families of HIV+ patients, the formerly incarcerated, Hep C+ individuals and those recovering from substance abuse.<\/p>\n

“There’s always that continuation of care, so when I’m ready to go in and treat a patient I can ask the dentist about the treatment plan and the prognosis. I like that collaboration,” Chou says. “Otherwise, you don’t know how it’s going to be restored in the future, or what the follow-up care is going to be…. I can immediately schedule that patient at FIGHT or at least do a permanent restoration and know it will hold up until they see their regular provider.”<\/p>\n

FIGHT has developed a robust algorithm to determine eligibility for their scarce resources. “Which tooth? How old are they? Do they have insurance? Do they have HIV?” Dr. Kari Hexem, DMD MPH, chief dental officer at FIGHT asks. “We prioritize those who are completely unable to afford treatment and demonstrate willingness to commit to treatment.”<\/p>\n

“We’re now able to increase the standard of care, and the funds will allow us to extend the number of patients we can serve,” explains Dr. Hexem. “There’s a lot of demand. Every patient we see requires endo on at least one tooth.”<\/p>\n

Dr. Chou appreciates working with a full-time staff and team of providers, including a therapist who helps patients reduce dental anxiety. Even with all the qualifications, Chou volunteering three appointments a week, and four staff providers doing simpler cases, the clinic is scheduled two months out on average.<\/p>\n

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The Foundation for Endodontics | US Endo Partners domestic Access to Care program supports AAE member-led initiatives to provide free endodontic care to patients in need in their local communities. Ongoing charitable support is essential:<\/p>\n