From the #deltadentalARFoundation: "I am in love with this machine," Courtney Johnson says with a grin and strikes a coquettish pose.

Courtney is the dental clinic manager at the Harmony Health Clinic in Little Rock, and the object of her affection is a late-model panoramic X-ray machine. A dentist donated it not long ago to replace a device so old it created only granular, blurry images. "The new one captures really clear pictures," Courtney explains and flashes a grin again. 

An upbeat, can-do attitude and a sense of humor are plentiful at Harmony Health, as is the demand for services. The non-profit community clinic provides medical, dental, vision, lab and specialty-care services to low-income, underserved Arkansans. 

Courtney and Executive Director Angela Harris, as well as the other eight paid staff members and the almost 300 volunteers, work well together—in harmony, if you will. 

They are joined by their desire to improve their patients' health and quality of life, many of whom have no other access to health and dental care except at free and charitable clinics. 

Since its inception in 2006, Harmony Health has provided more than 25,000 patient visits with a value of more than $10 million in services. 

Expenses for dental and oral health care amount to about half a million dollars each year. A 2021 #communitygrant from the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation supports extractions, fillings, x-rays and cleanings for about 120 patients. 

But these bare statistics disguise the emotional impact that restored oral health can generate. 

"We had a patient recently who burst into tears after receiving a set of dentures," Angela says and elaborates, "She couldn't believe she finally had a healthy, attractive smile."

The care doesn't stop once the patient exits the facility. Last year, Harmony Health hired a patient navigator who is in charge of connecting patients with all kinds of external resources to better meet their overall needs that go beyond health care. She helps identify housing assistance and food pantries, job opportunities, as well as educational and job support. 

There is a lot of innovation going on at Harmony Health. Is your organization coming up with novel ideas to improve the oral health and overall health of Arkansans? Let us know. We'd love to partner with you. Find out more here. 

 

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