Sunday, February 23, 2025, 8:48AM |  28°
MENU
Advertisement
Lots of signs are used to direct patients who will come for Mission of Mercy, an annual event at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where dentists, optometrists, audiologists, nurses, and others volunteer their time treating thousands of people, many without insurance, over two days.
4
MORE

Free health clinic in Pittsburgh serves hundreds, closes doors early due to high demand

Lucy Schaly/Post-Gazette

Free health clinic in Pittsburgh serves hundreds, closes doors early due to high demand

Before sunrise, Sheila Phillips, 56, and her 85-year-old mother, Carlean Smith, were among hundreds waiting outside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Friday morning. They aimed to arrive by 5:45 a.m. to secure a spot around 50th in line but found themselves closer to 200th.

Some attendees had arrived as early as midnight for the Mission of Mercy free vision, dental and hearing clinic, camping out overnight.

“When they put free on anything, you should just expect that, but it really blew my mind,” Ms. Phillips said.

Advertisement

The convention center was hosting the rare opportunity to receive health services completely free. Ms. Smith had been struggling with hearing loss, but getting hearing aids, quoted between $500 and $1,000 each, were simply beyond her means.

FILE - In this June 22, 2016, file photo, Tammy Compton restocks tampons at Compton's Market, in Sacramento, Calif. California public schools and colleges would have to stock their restrooms with free menstrual products under legislation sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021. The bill by Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia builds on her 2017 law requiring low-income schools in disadvantaged areas to provide students with free menstrual products. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
Allie Miller
A study found metals in tampons. Here’s why experts haven’t advised to stop using them.

By late morning, Ms. Smith was leaving with a pair, barely visible with a single, clear wire wrapped around the top of each ear. Ms. Phillips doesn’t know when her mother would have been able to get hearing aids without the clinic.

“I really like the fact that they give you some options,” she said. “After they fit them on you, they connect it your phone, so you can use them as speakers for your phone. They offer free accessories, like if you need batteries, or if you need them adjusted, they recommended a clinic. It was just a great experience.”

This Friday and Saturday, the clinic is welcoming anyone ages two and up. The two-day affair is expected to welcome 1,500 people, and it takes nearly the same number of volunteers, including dentists, clinicians, opticians, ophthalmologists and nurses, to make the event possible.

Advertisement

There are no income or eligibility requirements, and all services are provided on a first-come, first-served basis until daily capacity is reached.

By 3 p.m. on Friday, the event had already reached its limit, closing its doors to allow clinicians to treat those still waiting. The clinic reopens at 6 a.m. on Saturday.

Tammi Grumski, a nurse practitioner at UPMC, is one of the first people patients encounter. She checks vital signs to ensure people are healthy enough to receive services. She’s had to send numerous people to the emergency room because they didn’t realize how high their blood pressure was.

“Just being in medical triage, we have diagnosed people with hypertension, we've diagnosed them with diabetes,” she said. “I had a lady here today told me she's never had her teeth covered, and she's in her 50s. It’s huge what we can do in two days.”

Amit Thosani is director of cardiac electrophysiology at AHN.
Anya Sostek
Can an Apple watch get AFib patients off bloodthinners?

In a darker corner of the convention center, behind teal curtains, Dr. Evan Waxman, an ophthalmologist at UPMC, was evaluating and diagnosing eye and vision conditions, from macular degeneration to glaucoma. But mostly, people simply need a pair of glasses.

Rob Nelson, an ophalmic technician for UPMC, clips a light on eye equipment during setup for Mission of Mercy, an annual event at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where dentists, optomotrists and audiologists volunteer their time treating thousands of people, many without insurance, on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (Lucy Schaly/Post-Gazette)

When the clinic first started in 2017, the work didn't seem possible.

“It didn't seem to me that we could do a comprehensive exam for 1,000 people a few days,” he said. “But an incredible number of people in the United States and globally, don't see well simply because they don't have glasses. It’s our duty.”

In the center of the convention center, clusters of dental chairs buzzed with activity. A more private area is set aside for extractions. It’s not unusual for patients to leave with all their teeth extracted due to the severity of their dental conditions, said Rick Celko, chief dental officer at UPMC. People can get fitted for dentures or restore one they already have on site.

“This is one of the best clinics I've ever been involved with, and the people here are just so compassionate,” he said. “You just see the results when somebody says thank you, or they are brought to tears because they’re so grateful. To me, that means that we're doing something right.”

Casey Wherry, 35, said she never felt so good after a dental visit. In February, she began experiencing a toothache. As a veteran, she gets free health care but no dental coverage. She waited out the pain until she could come to Mission of Mercy. Luckily, an x-ray she received showed no need for further treatment beyond a cleaning.

She has periodontal disease, making her gums especially sensitive. Unlike past dental visits, the hygienist applied numbing cream through the cleaning to keep her comfortable.

“I usually pinch my fingers when I’m anxious,” she said. “The hygienist was so attentive, I realized I could actually relax.”

Before leaving, she made sure to take down the clinician’s information to try to schedule another visit in the future.

“With dentists, I find that you get what you pay for, and I have had a better experience here than ones I've paid for,” she said. “I look around, and I'm like, this is incredible.”

First Published: November 1, 2024, 9:07 p.m.
Updated: November 2, 2024, 2:00 a.m.

RELATED
Lots of signs are used to direct patients who will come for the clinic.
Hanna Webster
Setting up the annual Mission of Mercy free health clinic, powered by hundreds of volunteers
Metro Community Health provides a mobile dentistry vehicle for the homeless on the North Shore on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.  The trailer comes twice a month.
Jordan Anderson
Mobile clinic makes dental services more accessible to Pittsburgh homeless
The annual Mission of Mercy health clinic offers dental, hearing and vision appointments, all free of charge, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown, on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mission of Mercy clinic at capacity
Dentist Steven DeFusco removes Ross Township resident Mike Andrzejewski's wisdom teeth, with dental assistant Cory Soltys, convention center on Aug. 5, 2022.
Anya Sostek
A uniquely Pittsburgh dental, hearing and vision clinic seeks 1,200 volunteers
Sarita Taub, of Mt. Lebanon, receives dental care Aug. 5 from Dr. Michael Parenti, left, from Erie County, and Sydney Cosgrove, from Oakland, at the Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh free dental, vision and hearing care screenings at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Hanna Webster
Mission of Mercy clinic serves record number of patients
Dentist Steven Defusco, of Bloomfield, removes Ross Township resident Mike Andrzejewski's wisdom teeth with dental assistant Cory Soltys, of Regent Square.
Hanna Webster
Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh treats nearly 1,500 patients during annual clinic
Hundreds of volunteers work on patients during the Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh Free Dental Clinic at the Convention Center on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, Downtown. The clinic offered dental exams, cleanings, restorative fillings, extractions and root canal treatments.  Mick Stinelli story
Nick El Hajj
Mission of Mercy Clinic expands its services
Hundreds of volunteers work on patients during the Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh Free Dental Clinic at the Convention Center on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, Downtown. The clinic offered dental exams, cleanings, restorative fillings, extractions and root canal treatments.
Mick Stinelli
Hundreds receive free dental care at Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh yearly clinic
SHOW COMMENTS (7)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning
1
business
Amid funding uncertainty, Pitt pauses doctoral admissions
Pirates outfielder DJ Stewart gets congratulations from teammates after his home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of the Grapefruit League season at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
2
sports
5 takeaways from Pirates' spring training victory over Orioles
A new report advises retirees in 2025 to aim for just 3.7% when withdrawing from savings -- down from 4%. Over a 30-year retirement, that could mean the difference between financial security or outliving your cash in your 80s or 90s, financial experts say.
3
business
How much can retirees safely withdraw from their nest eggs? Financial experts weigh in.
Preston Coleman, 52, was beaten and strangled inside an Aliquippa VFW on Jan. 5, 2025, in what police described as a vicious, unprovoked attack.
4
news
Bartender working at Aliquippa VFW during beating that left man unconscious facing charges
York County District Attorney Timothy J. Barker reacts during a news conference regarding the shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
5
news
Police officer killed, gunman dead in shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York
Lots of signs are used to direct patients who will come for Mission of Mercy, an annual event at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where dentists, optometrists, audiologists, nurses, and others volunteer their time treating thousands of people, many without insurance, over two days.  (Lucy Schaly/Post-Gazette)
Zeila Hobson, a program director for UPMC’s Eyevan, sets up equipment for Mission of Mercy, an annual event at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where dentists, optomotrists and audiologists volunteer their time treating thousands of people, many without insurance, on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024.  (Lucy Schaly/Post-Gazette)
Rob Nelson, an ophalmic technician for UPMC, clips a light on eye equipment during setup for Mission of Mercy, an annual event at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where dentists, optomotrists and audiologists volunteer their time treating thousands of people, many without insurance, on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024.  (Lucy Schaly/Post-Gazette)
Lots of signs are used to direct patients who will come for Mission of Mercy, an annual event at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where dentists, optometrists, audiologists, nurses, and others volunteer their time treating thousands of people, many without insurance.  (Lucy Schaly/Post-Gazette)
Lucy Schaly/Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST local
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story