CBS Evening News to air Colorado Mission of Mercy coverage July 23

When CBS features The Other America on its July 23 evening news, viewers will have a bird’s eye view of how dentistry donates care.

More than 1,500 patients, some who slept on concrete to begin waiting at 8:00 p.m. the previous evening for a 5:00 a.m. opening, received dental care July 18-19 at the Larimer County Fairgrounds in Loveland, Colo. A CBS News crew was there to record the Mission of Mercy program.

“The news director cried twice while interviewing patients,” said Dr. Jeff Stasch, who collaborated with the Colorado Dental Association to organize the event. “It can be shocking that in the land of the free and the home of the brave鈥攖he most affluent country in the world鈥攖here are so many needy people.”

Dr. Stasch was among 150 dentists and other dental volunteers who provided more than $1 million in care that included pain abatement, restorations, prosthodontics, pedodontics and prophylaxis. Single mothers, adoptive parents, children and elderly received treatment in the 110-chair dental clinic.

Volunteer dentists came to Colorado from states including Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas and Wyoming to participate. During the past five years the MOM project has provided $25 million worth of dentistry to some 25,000 patients. The volunteer group’s next destination is Iowa in October.