BRUNSWICK
Since 2004, John Bauman, a retired Navy dentist, volunteered with Oasis Free Clinics, providing needed dental care to those in greater the Brunswick area. This week, Oasis announced Bauman is retiring from the dental clinic that he was instrumental in starting.
Bauman worked closely with the Merrymeeting Bay Dental Society to recruit volunteer dentists, hygienists and assistants. He oversaw the discussions with Catholic Charities which allowed Oasis to access its dental space and equipment at their Jessie Albert Dental and Orthodontic Dental Center in Bath.
According to a press release issued by Oasis, for the past 12 years Bauman never missed a Tuesday evening dental clinic.
“Jack Bauman started it all,” said dentist Rick Elsaesser, in a statement. “His 13 years of dedicated services has brought Oasis where it is today.”
Thanks to Bauman, Oasis has provided free dental care to hundreds of low-income, uninsured adults in the Midcoast area. Since it started, Oasis has provided millions of dollars in free dental care.
In 2015, the clinic moved from Bath and expanded into Brunswick which was possible thanks to a $335,000 grant from the Maine Next Generation Foundation. The grant allowed Oasis to install two dental offices in space donated by Mid Coast Hospital at the hospital campus on Baribeau Drive, below its current medical office.
The expansion was necessary, Elsaesser noted at the time. There were more than 500 emergency room visits in 2013 between Parkview Adventist Medical Center and Mid Coast Hospital for patients seeking emergency dental care. In the emergency room, patients will get a painkiller and antibiotic, but little else.
According to the Oasis website, the dental clinic offers free dental care, including cleanings, restorations and extractions twice a month at our dental clinic in Brunswick. The clinic serves uninsured adults living at or below 175 percent of the federal poverty level.
According to the website, the clinic operates through a partnership with the Merrymeeting Bay Dental Society whose members volunteer their services and Oasis. Funding for the clinic comes from a variety of individual donations and grants, including the Next Generation Foundation of Maine, the Davenport Family Foundation, Northeast Delta Dental, and the Merrymeeting Bay Dental Society. It also gets support from the Jessie Albert Memorial Dental Center, which is part of Catholic Charities of Maine.
Oasis Free Clinics provides free medical, mental health, and dental services, as well as prescription assistance, for uninsured, low-income residents of Freeport, Durham, Brunswick, Harpswell and Sagadahoc County except Richmond, which has a federally qualified health center.
In 2016, Oasis helped more than 750 low-income, uninsured adults receive comprehensive primary care, mental health, and dental services. Oasis also helped 197 people get free or reduced cost prescriptions through their Community Prescription Assistance Program.
For more information, call (207) 721-9277 or visit OasisFreeClinics.org.
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