Clark County Commission
Chairman Rory Reid and the Children ’s Dental
Care International, a non-profit that provides
low-cost to free dental care to impoverished
children, hosted the grand opening and ribbon
cutting of the Paradise Park Children’s Dental
Clinic on Friday, April 22.
Located in Commissioner Reid’s District G
at 4770 Harrison Drive, near East Tropicana
Avenue and McLeod Drive, the pediatric dental
clinic is expected to serve more than 500
children in need throughout Clark County during
the first year of operation. County and clinic
officials expect this number to increase
substantially over time.
"Initially, all dental procedures will
be provided free of charge with a sliding-scale
fee to be implemented at a later date,"
said Commissioner Reid. "From now on,
pediatric dental patients throughout Clark
County will be screened for eligibility and
referred to the Paradise Park Children’s
Dental Clinic by a variety of social service
agencies. This public/private partnership will
ensure that our most vulnerable children have
access to dental care."
Children’s Dental Care International
Co-founders Dr. Dawn McClellan and Mike PeQueen
are also co-founders of the Paradise Park
Children’s Dental Clinic. On July 6, the
County Commission awarded the non-profit
$490,000 in grant funds for the design,
construction and operation of the
9,470-square-foot dental clinic, previously home
to the Paradise Community Center.
Dr. McClellan will provide patient care along
with two other pediatric dentists and an office
manager. "Today, we are committing to
provide comprehensive oral health care to
impoverished children and youth in Clark County,
who have no access to dentistry," she said.
"Without the county’s support and
funding, this clinic would not be possible.
"
Volunteer dentists and associates of the
Children’s Dental Care International have
logged more than 1 million travel miles to
perform 9,000 dental procedures on more than
3,000 children around the world. The non-profit
is scheduled to open a second pediatric dental
clinic in Jaffan, Sri Lanka next month.
Clark County Commissioner Myrna Williams’
District E will also be served by the pediatric
dental clinic. "No child should go without
dental care, regardless of his or her financial
condition," said Commissioner Williams, an
early booster of the clinic. "We
congratulate the dental clinic co-founders and
their staff on this tremendous endeavor and we
wish them great success."
