Purchase ADD celebrates launch of mobile dentistry initiative
BY MOLLY HAINES | KCADD Public Information Officer
Oct. 14, 2024
Dr. Kwane Watson, pictured fifth from left, a Louisville-based licensed dentist and CEO of Kare Mobile, LLC. visits Fulton County Sept. 11, to begin seeing patients within its school districts. Watson and his team's visits are made possible through the Purchase Area Development District's acquisition of a $1 million Delta Health Services grant, which will fund the mobile dental care initiative providing critical services to underserved students throughout much of PADD's eight-county service area for two years. Pictured alongside Watson, left to right are PADD's Rebekah Elkins, Fulton County High School Nurse Gabi Acree, Fulton County School Superintendent Patrice Chambers, Fulton County Judge/Executive Jim Martin, Four Rivers Foundation Board Chair/West Kentucky Education CIE Director Dianne Owens, Fulton County Elementary School Principal Ashton Giles, PADD Executive Director Jeremy Buchanan, Hickman County Judge/Executive Kenny Wilson, and Fulton County High School Principal Ellen Murphy.
The Purchase Area Development District (PADD) is celebrating the impact of a $1 million Delta Health Services grant awarded in November 2023, as the funding now powers a mobile dental care initiative providing critical services to underserved students throughout much of its eight-county service area.
Partnering with Floss and Gloss, a school site-based preventative dental program of the Purchase District Health Department, school nurses within the Fulton County, Fulton Independent, Hickman County, Lyon County, and Murray Independent School Districts identify students with limited or no access to dental care who may then visit the Kare Mobile, LLC. vans while on school grounds.
Dr. Kwane Watson, a Louisville-based licensed dentist and CEO of Kare Mobile, LLC. visited Fulton County Sept. 11, to begin seeing patients within its school districts. Kare Mobile’s mission is to bring state-of-the-art dental services directly to the patients and to provide equitable services to all, which it will accomplish through this two-year grant.
“We are proud to play a role in bringing essential healthcare services directly to the students in our communities,” PADD Executive Director Jeremy Buchanan said. “This initiative exemplifies what can be achieved when organizations come together with a shared vision to meet the needs of our underserved populations. Through this grant, we’re not only improving access to dental care, but also enhancing the overall health and well-being of our region’s youth.”
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​The mobile dentistry vans visit schools every Friday when school is in session, making a total of 30 visits per year across the five school systems. The specific days are allocated based on the needs and number of students at each school. Since the program spans two school years (August 2024 to May 2025 and August 2025 to May 2026), there will be a total of 60 dental clinic days scheduled throughout the program.
PADD serves as the fiscal agent for the grant, which was developed in partnership with the Fulton-Hickman Economic Development Corporation, the Four Rivers Foundation, KenTenn EMS, and Kare Mobile, LLC. PADD Executive Director Jeremy Buchanan will oversee the grant’s implementation, while Rebekah Elkins, a member of PADD’s Area Agency on Aging and Independent Living staff, will serve as the program coordinator.
The grant not only supports mobile dental services but also includes funding to strengthen emergency medical response capabilities within the region by providing for the purchase of a new ambulance for the KenTenn EMS and upgrades to equipment for other ambulances. These enhancements will significantly improve emergency response times and the overall quality of care available to residents in the area.