MIAMI — For the first time since it opened in 2008, patients at an Opa-Locka, Florida, health care clinic will be able to receive consistent dental care — from cleanings to cancer screenings and root canals — and it’s not going to cost them a penny.

UHI CommunityCare Clinic, a nonprofit health care clinic, is now offering free dental care for residents through its partnership with Caring for Miami, an initiative of Christ Fellowship Church. It’s one of many health services offered by UHI clinic, which was founded and is supported and led by South Florida’s Muslim community and is open to anyone in need.

The mobile clinic — akin to a dental office on wheels — will provide dental services to uninsured, low-income patients every Thursday. The initiative aligns with Christ Fellowship’s mission to bring care to the community, said CEO and executive director of Caring for Miami, Ashley Giritli.

“We want to be able to go into these communities, feel the need, feed the poor, and tell them that there’s a God that loves them,” Giritli said.

Giritli said the dental care program works in tandem with the faith-based nonprofit’s other mobile programs, including a food pantry that provides free, healthy food to people with limited access that has visited UHI in the past.

On its opening day, multiple patients from UHI made the short walk across Fisherman Street to the big blue bus to wait for their names to be called. One patient, Sahar Manour, drove from Pembroke Pines to get x-rays and a deep cleaning, all in the same day.

“It’s very helpful. I was always discouraged to go because I know dental service is very expensive,” said Manour as she entered the bus.

Oral health is an important but often overlooked part of our general health care, said Dr. Kate Semidey, a pediatric doctor at UHI.

“Dental care is extremely important for your overall health,” Semidey said. She said that oral care even has neurocognitive connections and can help early detection for issues like dementia in the elderly and cardiovascular diseases.

“I was dancing in that conference room when we finally made this agreement for them to start coming on Thursdays,” Semidey said. “It’s absolutely incredible. To have this opportunity for our patients is huge.”

Leaders from Jackson Hospital and Baptist Health Systems, who were present at the dental clinic’s opening day, said community clinics like UHI help keep people from misusing the Emergency Departments at hospitals — which can run patients a bill of $800 a night.

“By establishing them with your services at UHI, they have a relationship, a connection, and that way, they can follow up with your care, and avoid us utilizing the hospital as a primary care establishment,” said Joyce Granada, the director of Population Health at Jackson Health System.

Opa-Locka, a city with a rich history and Middle East-inspired architecture, is also a place with high-poverty rates and little resources.

Often called a “food desert” for its lack of healthy food markets, Opa-Locka is also considered a “high-risk city,” from a health-risk perspective, said Javier Gutierrez, senior director of the physician services department at Jackson Health Systems.

“It’s a great resource to the community,” Gutierrez said. “They should be applauded for the work they’re doing.”

UHI CommunityCare Clinic, which was founded in 2008, moved from Miami Gardens to Opa-Locka last year. UHI partners with Florida International University’s medical school to provide student doctors and faculty for the clinic, and offers an array of services, from eye exams to children’s vaccines, all free of cost to those without insurance.

The clinic saw over 5,800 patients last year, but the need is growing as more and more people continue to lose access to Medicaid said president of UHI board Khalid Mirza.

“Basically we are getting more and more patients,” said Mirza. “A lot of people in the area, they have no place to go, so they will come here.”

Mirza said the mobile bus has visited in the past, but that the permanent presence of dental care services is an exciting addition to UHI.

“I’m so excited,” said Mirza. “Everybody, when they come they ask, ‘Do you have dental? Do you have a dentist? This is a blessing to everybody who lives in this area.”

The partnership between a clinic run by the Muslim community and a mobile dental clinic run by a Christian church is just one of many ways faith-based charities work together in Miami-Dade to make the community better place to live.

“It’s beautiful to see different denominations of faith working together for a common cause,” said Caring for Miami CEO Giritli.

The health and dental services are available to anyone, regardless of faith background. But, Caring for Miami also brings the church to the people by offering to pray with clients who want to, and opening the doors of the church for anyone seeking community.

“We’ll always offer prayer, we don’t force it. But there’s a lot of people in our community that have really, really big needs, that are struggling, that are lonely and welcome us to pray for them,” Giritli said.

Anyone seeking dental care can inquire at UHI clinic, located at 870 Fisherman St. in Opa-Locka.

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The Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations, known as COSMOS, is a partner of the clinic, and is also a funder of the religion reporter position at the Miami Herald.

This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.

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