Bradley Free Clinic
 
Bradley Free Clinic is the only source of free dental care for adults in the Roanoke Valley. Until August of 2004, the clinic had only one weekly session seeing about 15 patients primarily for emergency extractions. Funding from VHCF and a partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Dentistry has allowed expansion of the dental program. This expansion, which focuses on restorative and preventive services, has increased dental access for low-income, uninsured residents of the Roanoke Valley.

With the VCU partnership, four senior dental students supervised by volunteer dentists see patients twice a week. Dental hygiene students from Virginia Western Community College are also part of the partnership.

One patient helped by the partnership is a single father of a disabled child, recently diagnosed with throat cancer. It had been recommended that the parent have any needed dental work completed prior to undergoing radiation therapy. His dental care was provided in eight visits, and he began radiation treatment for his cancer.

Bradley Free Clinic has been in existence since 1974, providing medical, dental and pharmacy services for low-income, uninsured residents of the Roanoke Valley. In 2005, services valued at more than $3.6 million were provided to 3,656 patients.

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