A trio of nonprofits teamed up in Broomfield in mid-June to offer free vision and dental care to members of the community.
Sponsored by Colorado Community Health Alliance (CCHA), the all-day event provided 22 vision checks and glasses and 19 dental cleanings, X-rays and fluoride treatments from the nonprofits A Precious Child, Deserving Dental and Eye Love Care, according to a media post from A Precious Child. The June 13 event was held at A Precious Child, 7051 W 118th Ave., Broomfield.
“For our community, we have identified that oftentimes there (are) organizations who are doing really great work, but they may not know about each other, or they need some opportunity to bring folks together to be able to receive services,” CCHA Vice President of Government Programs Colleen Daywalt said.
Daywalt said that CCHA — a Medicaid entity that serves eight counties across the state — has awarded grants to the three nonprofits, and the event was designed to bring them under one roof to help make an even larger impact.
A Precious Child is a Broomfield-based nonprofit that serves children in need across the Front Range by providing access to clothing, holiday gifts, programming and more. Deserving Dental is a nonprofit organization that offers dental care to underserved and vulnerable populations, such as low-income families, developmentally disabled residents and seniors. Eye Love Care, the third nonprofit at the event, serves community members on a fixed income with eye care, such as regular exams and glasses.
“We wanted to bring those services to those members directly, instead of them having to go out and identify a provider that accepts Medicaid and get to those appointments,” Daywalt said. “We figured, well, we’ll bring everyone to the members directly, instead of the members having to go to them.”
Daywalt said that the event was a great success, as every single family that signed up for services arrived for their appointments — there wasn’t a single no-show among them.
Natasha Crayton was among the attendees, and six of her seven children had appointments at the event.
“I got the call about the event and I was like, ‘oh yeah, I’m all there,’” Crayton said.
She said that after an insurance mixup at her usual dentist, her kids’ teeth hadn’t been treated for some time, so the event was a great chance to catch up on their cleanings and ensure their ongoing needs were being met.
She also said that the incentives offered by CCHA — an Amazon gift card, along with some toys and small presents for the kids — did a great job of encouraging the kids to enjoy the event instead of seeing it as a regular appointment.
After the services have been provided, Maria Martinez, A Precious Child empowerment resource center director, said the clients will likely need follow-up appointments. The organizations plan to host a second event at A Precious Child in six months to do just that.
