College of Dentistry: News

Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-7th IL) visited the College on Aug. 27, only a few days after College personnel participated in his State of the District Town Hall Meeting for the fifth year. The College is located within Congressman Davis’s district.

Congressman Davis visited with patients and staff, toured a clinic, and met with Dean Bruce Graham; Dr. Caswell Evans, Associate Dean for Prevention and Public Health Sciences Administration; Dr. David Clark, Associate Dean for Patient Services; Dr. Gary Drahos, Director of Initial Patient Care Services; and Warren Chapman, University Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

The College and University officials spoke with Congressman Davis about the need to improve its clinical facilities dedicated to Urgent Care. A new Urgent Care clinic would increase the College’s capacity to deal with more Urgent Care patients, and improve access to care for underserved, indigent, and minority populations.

“A new Urgent Care facility will have an immediate impact on society’s most vulnerable locally, while at the same time having national impact as a model for Urgent Care that can be followed throughout the United States,” Dr. Graham said. “Congressman Davis believes in our mission, and we are grateful to him for visiting the College to learn about our work firsthand.”

On the floor of the House of Representatives, Congressman Davis recently spoke about the importance of healthcare facilities, saying the federal government “must continue to support and expand community health centers as outstanding deliverers of primary care. These providers are proven to reap solid benefits to our patients, communities, and state and local governments in terms of efficiency.”

For Davis’s State of the District Town Hall events, the College sends dental and dental hygiene students, faculty, and staff to provide his constituents with oral health education, as well as toothpaste and toothbrushes. The College sends up to eight people every year, who see approximately 1,000 of Congressman Davis’s constituents. Each Town Hall features “a Resource Fair highlighting resources from not-for-profit organizations, governmental entities, faith-based organizations, hospitals, educational institutions, and others,” Davis noted.