LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Open his mouth wide, a young boy sat very still while Janet Crosswhite checked for cavities and other oral health irregularities. A dental checkup is one of many services Crosswhite provides through her non-profit organization, Smiles Across Nevada, a mobile dental care facility treating low-income families in Southern Nevada.
“Everyone needs access to care,” Crosswhite said. “Oral care is health care, and if we don’t take care of our oral health, most likely, we’re going to have some systemic issues, and we want to help a healthy Nevada.”
More than 30% of children in Nevada do not have access to dental care, according to Crosswhite. Practicing for decades in Clark County, the dental hygienist left her offices during the pandemic to get Smiles Across Nevada rolling. She visits her patients wherever they are while teaching clients about proper oral hygiene.
Before the pandemic, nearly 400,000 Nevadans were living without health insurance. It’s the latest number from a Guinn Center report released in 2019; however, doctors say that number was exasperated when COVID-19 infected hundreds of thousands of Nevadans.
In 2020, Mark Myiaoka, was called upon to run Silver State Health Services. A local non-profit that treats low-income families and individuals without health insurance.
“We’ll just invoice them,” Myiaoka said. “Typically in a three-month period we can find someone to donate the money. The bills are covered completely, so there’s no cost to the families.”
Silver State Health Services is charted by the federal government to support low-income families without insurance, veterans, immigrants, refugees, and unhoused individuals. The clinic provides primary health care as well as mental health care.
“If people need to have healthcare, we want to make sure they get taken care of,” said Myiaoka.
Families and individuals looking to get a checkup can visit the clinic at 2965 South Jones Blvd. or contact the clinic at (702) 937-3418.
To learn more about Smiles Across Nevada, go to the Smiles Across Nevada website.
