The Family Place opens dental clinic at Ann Moody Place for victims of family violence.
Take a breath. You are safe. These are the words that greet clients at The Family Place’s new Ann Moody Place; a beautiful, caring environment that fully addresses the needs of The Family Place’s clients who have experienced domestic violence.
For the first time, The Family Place will be able to provide dental cleanings and exams at Ann Moody Place through the generosity of volunteer dentists and dental hygienists using a new dental clinic space. Many clients have had little if any dental care, and have suffered dental trauma during their abuse. Volunteer and Family Place Board Member, Kim Greer, and her husband, Dr. Dale Greer, are in the process of setting up the new dental treatment room at Ann Moody Place and are working to secure volunteers and donations of supplies and equipment.
“It’s been wonderful to hear the reaction from clients to this state-of-the-art facility that opened in June 2017,” says The Family Place CEO, Paige Flink. “One client told me that she was able to share a traumatic event from her childhood because she felt so safe and secure in her counselor’s office. We are working to provide everything our clients need here to recover and grow strong—including, for the first time, a dental clinic. Our clients and their children will benefit in so many ways from these services. There’s nothing like having the confidence to smile!”
Every space at Ann Moody Place has a purpose with clients at the center. There are two client waiting rooms, one for single women that can provide peace and quiet, and one for families with children. There are also lockers at the facility so clients have a safe place to store their important documents as they prepare to leave their abusers and live independently.
The 50,000-square-foot building includes a 47-bed emergency shelter, extensive counseling facilities for adults and children, a kennel for clients who don’t want to leave their beloved pets behind, a medical clinic and the dental clinic. With the opening of Ann Moody Place, The Family Place now operates three emergency shelters including its Safe Campus, which opened in 2000, and a new shelter for men and their children, the first in the state.
While The Family Place has had a clinic at its Safe Campus, counseling clients have not had access to it. The clinics at Ann Moody Place serve both shelter and counseling clients that have often experienced medical neglect, inconsistent immunizations, and injury from abuse in their homes. The medical clinic provides free medical care from a full-time nurse and volunteer physicians who provide health assessments, screenings and immunizations.
“We are so proud that the community has recognized the need for this facility,” Flink says. “With the support of dedicated volunteers, we are going to accomplish
so much good work here.”
If you’re interested in supporting the new dental clinic at Ann Moody Place (through donations of time, dollars, supplies or equipment), please contact Kim Greer at:
[email protected].
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