CARSON CITY – The Nevada Dental Association (NDA) announced this week that the charitable partner of the statewide association has been rebranded and is now the Nevada Dental Foundation (NDF).
The renewed commitment of the nonprofit foundation is to improve access to quality dental care in rural and underserved communities of the state with the support of compassionate and skilled dental volunteers and their business partners.
“The Foundation wants to be proactive developing effective solutions to dental care access in our rural communities,” said Dr. David Mahon, a longtime Las Vegas dentist who serves as a director of the NDF.
The newly appointed board of the NDF is actively working to address the need for oral health care in rural areas of the state and is in the process of setting up a clinic in Tonopah, Nevada. Mahon said one challenge with launching the Tonopah clinic is staffing. The initial strategic approach involves having dentists, hygienists and specialists work at the location on a rotating basis, with a long-term goal of attracting a full-time dentist to the rural Nye County community.
“Dentists should be at the forefront of dental access issues in the state, which is why I’m optimistic that our board, comprised of dental practitioners, will be successful in effecting change,” Mahon said.
The drive and determination of the NDF board also comes on the heels of the veto of Nevada Senate Bill 391, which sought to expand access to oral health for thousands of Nevadans and included programs such as teledentistry and dental emergency response. The bill passed overwhelmingly with bipartisan support before it was vetoed by Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on June 11. The bill would have provided vital access to oral health care for rural populations, which would have helped meet the need in rural parts of the state such as Tonopah.
About the Nevada Dental Foundation
Established in 2005, the Nevada Dental Foundation (NDF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity that disperses grants to promote oral health. In the past, the NDF has sponsored the Joel Glover Memorial Golf Tournament and Give Kids a Smile annual events. Recently, the NDF has been reorganized to better fulfill its commitment to education and charity, helping make quality dentistry available to underserved Nevadans.