Stamford,
CT – Two dental clinics built by the
disaster response and humanitarian aid organization AmeriCares are restoring
access to care for thousands of survivors for the first time since the March 11
earthquake and tsunami. The clinics recently opened in Minamisanriku, where the
dual disasters wiped out 95 percent of the coastal town’s infrastructure,
including all six dental care facilities. AmeriCares partnered with the Miyagi
Dental Association to build the clinics and worked closely with the Miyagi
Prefectural government to develop the project.
“These new clinics are serving one of the most
devastated towns in the whole Tohoku region, and a population greatly in need
of dental care,” said Ella Gudwin, AmeriCares vice president of emergency
response. “With people dislocated, living in shelters, and many without access
to running water for months, daily oral hygiene routines fell by the wayside.
For the large elderly population with a greater prevalence of tooth decay and
related complications, this began to present a health risk. We did hear of some
survivors developing serious abscesses which can be life threatening if not
treated.”
Funded by $400,000 in AmeriCares grants, the new
transitional clinics are expected to operate for up to 10 years, serving a
population of 10,000. The husband and wife who run the clinic located in the Shizugawa
area survived the tsunami, but lost their practice and their home. They lived
out of their car for three weeks with little food and no heat, even as snow
fell in the area. Like many dentists in the region, they initially feared
having to relocate to find work. With the opening of the new clinics, they can
stay close to their home community to help restore dental health services.
AmeriCares immediately rushed aid to Japan in the
aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, including an airlift of more than
$525,000 worth of medicines and medical supplies. Last summer, AmeriCares
opened an office in Sendai to oversee the distribution of $8 million in aid. The organization plans to stay in Japan for up
to three years, revitalizing and expanding health care services for survivors.
