1. ACORN Clinic Receives Generous Grant for Disabled Veterans
GAINESVILLE, FL (October 16, 2015) -- The ACORN Clinic of Alachua County received a
$25,000 grant this week from the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service trust, to
provide dental services for disabled American veterans in the community. ACORN Clinic has a
long history of providing affordable dental care for those who wouldn’t have access to it
otherwise. Disabled veterans, in particular, can have a difficult time receiving proper care if they
cannot afford insurance. Veterans must be one hundred percent disabled to receive services at
the VA Hospital. Unfortunately, this leaves many veterans without access to dental health care.
Recently, ACORN Clinic served a young disabled veteran who desperately needed an
abscessed wisdom tooth removed. This young woman was injured while on active duty in
Afghanistan and was left physically disabled. She had been having trouble with her tooth for
some time and was told the only person who could extract it was an oral surgeon. However,
without dental insurance, this extraction would cost her almost $2,000 out of pocket, a cost she
wouldn’t be able to afford. She came to ACORN and the talented team of dental professionals
was able to extract the tooth for only $131.
“This is the kind of work we strive to do at ACORN Clinic,” Candice King, executive director,
said. “With this generous grant from Disabled American Veterans, our dental team will be able
to continue providing these services to other veterans in similar situations.” These veterans
bravely defended our country and they deserve affordable access to dental care, regardless of
their income level.
For more information on ACORN Clinic and how we serve the community, visit our website,
www.acornclinic.org, or contact Candice King at cking@acornclinic.org.
About ACORN Clinic: The Alachua County Organization for Rural Needs, Inc. ACORN Clinic is
a nationally recognized program that provides low-cost medical, dental and social services for
residents of north central Florida. ACORN Clinic was founded in 1974 when two area churches
funded volunteers to meet the healthcare needs of their community. ACORN Clinic is a not-for-
profit 501 (c)(3) organization serving residents of Alachua, Bradford, Columbia, Union and other
counties in North Central Florida.
About Disabled American Veterans: DAV is dedicated to a single purpose: empowering
veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. They accomplish this by ensuring
that veterans and their families can access the full range of benefits available to them; fighting
for the interests of America’s injured heroes on Capitol Hill; and educating the public about the
great sacrifices and needs of veterans transitioning back to civilian life.