NC Baptist Men to Buy New Mobile Dental Unit

After 21 years of service, NC Baptist Men expect to replace its medical/dental Blue Bird bus with a new mobile dental unit by the middle of next year. A recent $90,000 donation from a donor requesting to remain anonymous pushed NC Baptist Men closer to the $400,000 needed to purchase the bus.

The new unit will include dental instruments, supplies and two dental rooms with a sterilization center similar to what the current bus features now. Upgrades include digital x-ray processing, professional stericenters and more spacious work areas. The unit will be custom-built to meet the needs of the NC Baptist Men dental ministry.

In 2000, because of the great demand from churches and other sponsoring groups to host the dental bus, NC Baptist Men purchased a second dental bus to join the 1989 Blue Bird bus. Around that same time, the 1989 bus was refurbished and received a new motor. However, because of its age, the bus still needed significant repairs last year.

“We knew it was time to do something different,” said Joanne Honeycutt, dental bus coordinator. “The time was right for us to begin taking steps toward investing in a new unit that would not only last longer, but would better serve the patients we treat.”

Each year the dental buses travel thousands of miles throughout North Carolina. Churches and other sponsoring groups host the bus as a way of reaching out to those in need in the community. Dentists and dental professionals volunteer their time to work on the bus during the dental clinic. Volunteer bus drivers make sure the bus gets safely from site to site.

To make a donation with a credit card, call Kecia Morgan at (800) 395-5102, ext. 5613. Checks made payable to NC Baptist Men can be mailed to: Mobile Dental Unit, NCBM, PO Box 1107, Cary, NC 27512