Free Dental Clinic
One reason to smile is Fredia Flack Lusk, the executive director of the Community Clinic of Shelbyville and Bedford County. When the decision was made to add dental care to the clinic, fundraising began in September 2020. Now, with all new equipment donated by Delta Dental of Tennessee, the dental clinic is fully equipped and seeing patients.
Pain from untreated dental care is preventable with routine visits to the dentist. Problems caught early keep issues from snowballing when they become much more expensive and difficult to fix. There are citizens in Bedford County who find regular dental care is beyond their financial means. This clinic—with the support of a wide variety of individual, family, corporate, and municipal donors—is making a difference with each person who comes through their door.
Dental care is often not covered by regular health insurance and it can be expensive to have twice-yearly cleanings, or even routine fillings, taken care of. Good dental hygiene also helps those who are unemployed increase their chance of finding employment. Dental health is related to all-around health and self-esteem.
There are generous partnerships at work supporting the dental clinic. Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry provides many of the necessary personnel, including dentists and hygienists. Their ongoing support is critical to providing services to our residents. The Smile 180 Foundation provides free partials and dentures for individuals under the age of 60 while Smile 60+ Foundation provides free cleaning, extractions, x-rays, partials, and dentures for individuals over 60 years old. Dental services are provided on the second and fourth Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All patients are required to pay a $50 supply and facility fee per dental visit to help offset costs not covered by partnerships. This fee is a stretch for many on a tight budget and generous donations enable the clinic to supplement some of these fees. There is an urgent need for more financial support from businesses, churches, individuals, and civic groups.
If you feel compelled to help a fellow Bedford County resident create better health and find more reasons to smile, you can reach out to the Community Clinic by email at shelbyvilleclinic@att.net
Donations may be mailed to 200 Dover Street, Suite 202, Shelbyville, TN 37160 or via PayPal at http://paypal.me/CCSBC
New Drone Keeps Residents and Public Servants Safer
The Bedford County Emergency Management Agency recently purchased a new drone for use in emergencies. Since the first drone was purchased by the county in 2015, technology has advanced in application and robustness. The new drone can fly for up to 55 minutes in a 9-mile range, even in light rain or cold weather. The old drones could only fly for up to 18 minutes with a 3-mile range.
New features include being able to play a recorded audio message, such as calling out to a lost kayaker to wave their arms to identify their location, as well as rescuers being able to simultaneously watch a split-screen of video and thermal imaging.
Drones have proven to be incredibly useful for a wide variety of emergencies. From monitoring traffic during a special event to helping locate a lost child, dementia patient, or prisoner, the drone enables the rescue coordinators to assess a situation before implementing a rescue. This can both expedite the rescue while keeping our first responders more safe.
The use of a drone is almost limitless in a rural community with the potential for everything from missing kayakers to building or forest fires. In 2015, Bedford County was one of the first rural counties to purchase a drone for emergency use and the county continues to be a leader in using technology for public safety.
More Reasons to Smile
• Bedford County has now been recognized 12 years in a row by the Government Finance Officer Association with a Certificate for Achievement of Excellence in Financial Reporting. This is the highest honor available in the field of governmental accounting and financial reporting.
• With all the growth and exciting developments happening in Bedford County, the County Commissioners approved the 2021-2022 fiscal year budget without a property tax increase. That is tremendous news for every property owner in Bedford County.
• Hearty congratulations and best wishes for retirement go to the beloved Ronette Tillman of the County Clerk’s office. She has seen a lot of change in her 30 years of service and her daily presence will be sorely missed. -GN
