Veterans eligible for free dental care as part of Operation Stand Down

Eligible veterans will be qualified for free dental treatment on Veterans Day, Nov. 10, as part of a new initiative known as Operation Stand Down.

Delta Dental of Arkansas, the state’s largest dental insurance network, is supporting the event and has several board members and executives lined up to help.

Offered for the first time in Arkansas, Operation Stand Down was launched in 2012 by Dr. Daniel Fridh of La Porte, Ind. A practicing dentist and Air Force veteran, he sought to devise a scalable solution to the poor oral health he observed among many fellow service members and their families. He began offering a designated day of free dental care to his ex-military patients and encouraged fellow dentists to do likewise. Since then, Operation Stand Down has grown into a multi-state project.

In Arkansas, Operation Stand Down will be hosted on November 10, Veteran’s Day, by the Arkansas International College of Dentistry and coordinated by the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs at six locations: Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Jonesboro, Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Arkadelphia. Among the participating volunteer dentists will be

· Thomas Redd, DDS, MS, VP, Professional Relations, Delta Dental of Arkansas
· Niki Carter, DMD, MPH, Dental Director & Manager, Professional Relations, Delta Dental of Arkansas
· Mark Bailey, DDS, of Waldron, board member, Delta Dental of Arkansas
· Troy Bartels, DDS, of Jonesboro, board member, Delta Dental of Arkansas
· Ned Alley, DDS, of Little Rock, board member, Delta Dental of Arkansas

Drs. Bailey, Bartels and Alley have donated their clinics as sites.

To receive treatment, veterans must present discharge papers or a DD214 and pre-register by contacting Gina Chandler of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs at [email protected] or 501-682-6487.