Paducah, KY, October 10, 2023 – Paducah’s Family Service Society provided dentures to 44 low-income residents of McCracken County through a $25,000 grant from WellCare of Kentucky.
Family Service Society (FSS), a nonprofit agency that offers services to families in crisis, received the grant from WellCare for its emergency denture program in October 2022. The agency regularly receives requests to help with dental care but due to limited funding, those eligible to receive dentures tend to wait up to six months.
“I am still trying to remember how to smile with my mouth open,” said Jerry Gilbert, one of the recipients of a full set of dentures. “I can’t thank WellCare enough for these dentures. It has changed my life.”
FSS Director Candace Woleben said Gilbert is just one of the grant recipients who have discovered a newfound confidence. “We had one client who worked in a restaurant, in the back of the house and she desperately wanted to move to a server’s role so she could make more money to support her kids,” said Woleben. She knew she wasn’t moved to that role due to her missing several teeth. With her new set of dentures, she is ready to take on the server role. Having a full set of teeth is not a vanity thing. It impacts people’s health and their very livelihood.”
Eligibility was based on income and dental health history. Those who qualified received a consultation with a local dentist.
The mission of Family Service Society (FSS) is to serve as a crisis resource to families in McCracken County, Kentucky. FSS provides direct client assistance to include food, clothing, prescription medications, emergency dental, utility assistance, personal hygiene items, household goods and Christmas food assistance. For more information, please visit fsspaducah.com.
WellCare of Kentucky provides government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors, and individuals with complex needs primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans across the state. WellCare is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading healthcare enterprise committed to helping people live healthier lives.