Every month, Dr. Kelvin Leung of Cowrie Street Dental spends part of a weekend offering his services for free to people living with mental illness.
Since August, Leung has partnered with the Sunshine Coast Community Services’ Arrowhead Clubhouse to offer the Sechelt Smiles program. It’s the first program of its kind on the Sunshine Coast.
“Ever since arriving on the Sunshine Coast a year ago, it has been a passion of ours to get involved in the local community,” Leung said in a press release. “Our Sechelt Smiles program in collaboration with Arrowhead has given us direction and excitement for future possibilities in volunteerism, giving back to the community in whatever way we can.”
The program goes beyond bringing smiles to people’s faces: the volunteer team offers screening, examinations, recommendations and dental treatment that are agreed on between dentist and patient.
The program has helped five Arrowhead Clubhouse members since August, and four more members are scheduled to receive treatment next month.
Anyone living with mental illness is eligible to become a member of Arrowhead Clubhouse, where they can pick up a form to be filled out by their doctor. Arrowhead Clubhouse offers a number of free services, including free meals, showers, laundry, hairdressing and, now, free dental help.
Foye Hatton, the program lead at Arrowhead Clubhouse, said, “Dr. Leung has helped our members smile with confidence, something which we all know helps our mental health. And while some of our members are nervous of the dentist, Dr. Leung, his team and the therapy dog, Maisel, made everyone feel safe and comfortable. We cannot say thank you enough.”
