Promise CHC awarded $2,500 grant toward dental chair replacement

SIOUX CENTER � Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center will replace one of its aging dental chairs, thanks to a $2,500 grant from the Sioux Center Community Foundation.

The grant, which comes from the foundation�s new Generations Community Endowment Fund, was awarded during the Sioux Center Spirit of Community celebration on Thursday, April 27, at Terrace View Event Center. Promise was among 12 local, nonprofit organizations that received a total of $26,000 in grant funding.

Dr. Kenneth Tjeerdsma, dentist and dental director
for Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center,
and dental assistant Gabbie Lynch see a patient in a
new dental chair purchased and installed during 2016.
A $2,500 grant awarded Thursday, April 27, by Sioux
Center's Generations Community Endowment Fund will
go toward replacement of a second dental chair unit.

The grant will cover about 15 percent of the cost to purchase a new dental chair and associated accessories for one of Promise�s three oral health exam rooms.

�We are appreciative of the Sioux County Foundation�s support,� said Derrick Vander Waal, public relations officer for Promise. �Promise�s dental program fills a crucial community need by providing high-quality dental care for people who might not otherwise receive the care that they need and deserve due to various barriers. Better equipment in Promise�s dental clinic will result in better dental care for those patients. In turn, better dental care will allow those people to live healthier, happier and more productive lives � improving the community.�

Promise accepts all patients, but in particular, it welcomes people covered by Medicaid and those who do not have insurance. For patients without insurance or with high deductibles, Promise offers a sliding-fee scale that greatly reduces dental costs. Promise also has a bilingual dental assistant integrated into its dental team to best serve Spanish-speaking patients.

As a result, Promise is a place where patients who otherwise would have difficulty accessing care can be referred.

�Promise fullfills an important community niche by ensuring families and children can receive the dental care that they need,� Vander Waal said.

Promise purchased refurbished dental chairs for its three dental exam rooms when it launched its oral health services in January 2011. The chairs served Promise well but were nearing the end of their useful lifespan.

One of the chairs was replaced in 2016 through the help of a Sioux County Foundation grant. Now, a second can be replaced. Along with the chair, a dental delivery unit and instrumentation will be purchased as necessary accessories for a complete dental system.

Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center is the only Federally Qualified Health Center serving the far northwest corner of Iowa. Promise provides medical, prenatal, dental, vision and behavioral health services. To learn more, visit www.promisechc.org and watch this video.

Dr. Kenneth Tjeerdsma and dental
assistant Leonardo Gabriel Marquez
see a dental patient at Promise CHC.
Promise will purchase and install
a new dental chair later this year,
thanks to the assistance of a $2,500
grant awarded Thursday, April 27,
 through Sioux Center's Generations
Community Endowment Fund.
 

MORE ABOUT DENTAL PROGRAM:

Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center offers dental care five days per week.

Promise�s dental staff consists of: Dr. Kenneth Tjeerdsma, dentist and dental director; dental hygienist Rebecca Hooyer; and dental assistants Tysa Lloyd, Gabbie Lynch and Leonardo Gabriel Marquez.

Promise�s dental program accepts all new patients � whether they are enrolled in Medicaid, have dental insurance or do not have insurance. Most area dental offices are not able to take on new Medicaid patients. For those without insurance or high deductibles, Promise has a sliding-fee scale to greatly reduce the cost of dental care for families with household incomes up to 200 percent of the poverty level. The minimum payment for a dental visit is $40 for families that are at or below the poverty level.

Promise also attempts to accommodate people for same-day or walk-in appointments.

The dental clinic hours are: 1-6 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays. Call 712-722-1700 for more information about Promise�s dental services or to schedule an appointment.

ENDOWMENT FUND GRANTS:

The Sioux Center Community Foundation Foundation was formed in 1997 to provide a way for individuals and businesses to make tax-deductible donations to large community projects.

Since then, $7 million has flowed to various projects.

Last year, the foundation also established the Generations Community Endowment Fund in conjunction with Sioux Center�s 125th anniversary as a means to distribute competitive grants to local, nonprofit organizations.

The first grant application round was earlier this year. Twelve recipients were announced during the Sioux Center Spirit of Community celebration on Thursday, April 27, for total grants of $26,000:

• Foster Grandparent Program � $275;
• Center for Assistance, Service and Advocacy (CASA) � $275;
• Northwest Iowa Symphony Orchestra � $750;
• ATLAS of Sioux Center � $1,000;
• Doornink-Brunsting American Legion Post 199 � $1,600;
• Sioux Center Christian School � $2,000;
• Siouxland Habitat for Humanity � $2,000;
• Sioux Center Firefighters Association � $2,100;
• Promise Community Health Center � $2,500;
• Center for Financial Education � $3,500;
• Sioux Center Public Library � $5,000;
• Early Childhood Center � $5,000.

�It is our hope that the Generations Community Endowment Fund will grow through individual gifts, bequests and fundraising events to provide a perpetual financial resource for Sioux Center�s nonprofit community,� said Kevin Wolterstorff, president of the Sioux Center Community Foundation Board, during the announcement ceremony.