Compassion Community Clinic

There is much less of that “clinical” feel – the sterile sights and sounds of entering a dental or medical office – entering the doors of Compassion Community Clinic in Sparks at its third clinic.
In place of anxiety entering CC Clinic, prayer greeters are available to speak with a full room of incoming patients. Each of the three rooms, including one for hygiene and two operatories for other dental procedures, are occupied with patients receiving services. The office’s hallways and front desk are bustling with dental workers – doctors and assistants – and volunteers helping in administrative capacities.
CC Clinic has come to life, meeting a vital need among a low-income adult population in the Reno-Sparks area of Nevada, a vision realized after several years of planning and coordinating to find the right location suited for a dental clinic, bringing hope to those who most need it and for sharing God’s love in a friendly environment.
“We’ve been blessed,” said Mary Hicks, a volunteer. “We pray God wants us to be open. It’s His will, not ours.”
CC Clinic has recruited several area licensed dentists and assistants to help meet oral hygiene needs, including exams, deep cleanings, fillings, extractions and oral health education. Treatment sessions currently take place two Saturdays per month. The clinic allows for approximately eight patients to be seen during a window of about four hours. The average patient visit is about 90 minutes.
Already, the clinic has found success, but members are confident that as funding and staffing increase, so will the ability to see more patients. Future plans include offering dental hygiene students from Truckee Meadows Community College a clinical rotation experience. CC Clinic staff will continue to recruit dental professionals in Washoe County and nearby communities.
Those who have come to CC Clinic have come in pain, affecting their ability to continue their daily work and personal lives, said Shari Byrnes, a Certified Dental Assistant and a member of the organization’s Board of Directors.
But it’s not only a cleaning or extraction the patient walks away with at the end of the visit.
“We’ve given out Bibles, tracts and community resources,” Byrnes said. “It’s very gratifying.”
They’ve also heard about God’s message of love from the prayer greeters and other staff. Scriptures hang on the walls of the clinic, and prayer greeters have an opportunity to share their faith with the patients.
“Our goal is to help our patients become pain-free and to give them hope,” Byrnes said. “We have been rewarded with very positive feedback, sincere ‘thank you’s’ and pain-free smiles.”
Donations can be made by mailing a check to Community Compassion Community Clinic, 6015 S. Virginia St., Suite E, PMB 368, Reno, NV 89502 or on PayPal at www.nvccclinic.org.