West Georgia Technical College (WGTC) recently celebrated a decade-long partnership with the Coweta Samaritan Clinic (CSC), marking the 10th anniversary of the Coweta Samaritan Dental Clinic. The dental clinic has provided basic and restorative dental care to thousands of underserved Coweta County residents while offering invaluable hands-on experience to WGTC’s dental assisting students.
The Coweta Samaritan Dental Clinic, a partnership between WGTC’s dental assisting program, the Coweta Samaritan Clinic (CSC), the Central Education Center (CEC), and local volunteer dentists, was established in 2014 after CSC leaders identified a need for dental care among patients in 2011 and proposed the collaboration.
Each month, around 100 CSC patients visit the dental clinic which is held in WGTC’s dental assisting lab at the CEC. The patients are primarily uninsured or under-insured, older than 19 years of age, and have an annual household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.
“Being able to provide our patients with dental care, in addition to medical care, is a tremendous blessing,” CSC Founder and Volunteer Medical Director Dr. Kay Crosby said. “Many of our patients need restorative dental work, and every one of them needs preventative care. We know that overall medical health is very much impacted by dental health, so this partnership between WGTC, CEC, volunteer dentists, and the CSC is an incredibly important and highly impactful one.”
The dental clinic has made a difference, not just for the patients but for WGTC’s Dental Assisting students too. By working alongside licensed dentists, students gain hands-on experience and build confidence that will help them in their future careers. At the same time, they are giving back to the community by providing much-needed dental care to people who might not otherwise have access to it.
Kim Nolan, Chair of WGTC’s Dental Assisting program and a key play in the clinic’s development, reflected on the success of the clinic and partnerships.
“This partnership is a big win for our community,” Nolan said. “CSC patients win because they get quality dental care from outstanding, experienced, and community-minded local dentists and from highly motivated, talented WGTC students. CSC wins because the dental needs of its patients are met with great facilities and expertise. WGTC students and local dentists win because they get to work with each other, leading to great local careers for students whose skills are highly valued.”
For more information about the Coweta Samaritan Clinic, visit www.csccares.org. For more information about WGTC’s dental programs, visit www.westgatech.edu/program-explorer
West Georgia Technical College, with campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson, and Troup counties and class sites in Heard and Meriwether counties, offers more than 120 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate programs of study. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, West Georgia Tech is one of the largest of the state’s 22 technical colleges. For more information, please visit www.westgatech.edu.
