PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An estimated 2,000 people lined up early in the morning outside the Oregon Convention Center in Portland in hopes of being helped during a Mission of Mercy free dental clinic.
The clinic continues Tuesday. Patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis and the 100-chair clinic can handle about 1,000 patients a day.
Christina Swartz of the Oregon Dental Association says the turnout shows how great the need is.
To host the clinic, the dental association partnered with the nonprofit America’s Dentists Care Foundation, which has provided free dental care for the underserved across the country since 2000. About 1,200 volunteer dentists, hygienists, assistants, dental students, pharmacists and other community members helped make the project happen in Portland. The convention center donated the space.
