Kahului, HI — February 6, 2012 — A local foundation that wishes to remain
anonymous recently donated $100,000 to the Maui Oral Health Center for the
acquisition of new dental chairs.  Since 2002 The Maui Oral Health Center
has served as a classroom and clinical site for the University of Hawaii
Maui College Dental Assisting Program, with the mission to provide
affordable and accessible oral/dental health care to the underserved,
low-income, uninsured families of Maui.

The MOHC was able to open in 2002 with the charitable donation of used
equipment from local dentists. The age of the equipment and the variations
in models made maintenance and repair expensive and sometimes impossible,
so the new chairs are key for the center to continue to provide oral/dental
health care services.

“Everyone on the UHMC Dental Program faculty, the staff and patients for
the Maui Oral Health Center would like to express their MAHALO to the donor
for this extremely valuable gift,” said Nancy Johnson, UHMC’s Allied Health
Department Chair.

On seeing the new chairs, one young child commented, “Auntie Donna, what
happened to the cracks in your chair?”

The Maui Oral Health Center is a collaborative project sponsored by the
members of the Maui County Dental Health Alliance, University of Hawaii
Maui College, the County of Maui, Hui No Ke Ola Pono, and the Maui District
Health Office (Department of Health).  On average, the Center serves 800 to
1000 Maui County residents each month.

The MOHC is scheduled to move to a new site on the UH Maui College campus
once the new science building has completed construction.  The entire
dental program will move into the renovated space, bringing the new dental
chairs with them.