Shepherd’s Hand Clinic is expanding its services to include free dental care to low-income Flathead Valley residents.

Shepherd’s Hand provides weekly free community meals, medical care, and a wellness program at Christ Lutheran Church. The dental program will begin accepting patients Jan. 13.

“I know there’s a need in the community for this,” said Dr. David Keim, who serves as volunteer dental director. “Our goal is to see the neediest of the needy.”

Keim, who has a private practice in Kalispell at Glacier Dental Group, said those without dental insurance often find themselves seeking medical attention at area hospitals when the pain becomes too great. He expects the dental program to focus on treating patients with emergent care needs. First priority will go to patients with tooth pain and/or facial swelling and must have a tooth removed.

About 25 local dentists will volunteer at the free clinic on a rotating basis. Keim said the program is looking for additional dentists, dental assistants and dental hygienists to volunteer.

“We’ve had a good response from dentists,” he said. “I know it’s difficult to work a full day and then volunteer, but we’re hoping for long-term service.”

The clinic’s executive director Meg Erickson said Shepherd’s Hand has been working for about a year to add dental services to its offerings. The clinic expects to accommodate three dental chairs and have two dentists treating patients each Monday night.

Patients without insurance who are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for dental care. Unlike the medical services which are designated for people living in the North Valley, the dental services are open to anyone in the Flathead Valley.

Erickson noted that the Flathead City-County Health Department offers dental care on a sliding-fee scale, with fees starting at $40, but some can’t afford even that.

“We want to help meet the need and treat those who don’t have health insurance,” she said. “We want to take some of the load off county health.”

Another goal is to keep patients out of the emergency room. That’s one reason why local hospitals have shown support for the program through donations. North Valley Hospital, Kalispell Regional Medical Center and The HealthCenter at KRMC, each have given $5,000 to launch the dental program.

“They acknowledge the need and importance of keeping people out of the ER,” Erickson said. “It’s a great example of how the medical community can work together.”

The Whitefish Community Foundation in November also awarded a $25,000 grant to the dental clinic. Another $6,000 was raised through an online voting campaign through Thrivent Financial and a matching challenge grant honoring Lena Lamphere in the amount of $30,000 added to the amount needed to start the program.

Erickson said more funds will be needed to sustain the program, which is expected to operate on an annual budget of about $40,000.

“Thank you goes to the community for the wide support,” Keim said. “We’ve been well received because the community knows the need out there.”

The Shepherd’s Hand Clinic was founded in 1995 with the mission of providing comprehensive medical care for those who do not have health insurance and can’t access care through other means. Each Monday night a community meal is served at 5:30 p.m. and patient sign-in begins at 6 p.m. About 20 professional and lay volunteers give their time each week to care for those who walk through the door.

Transportation for those wanting to attend the meal was recently added to the services. One of the clinic’s newest programs — Move to Improve — uses volunteer health coaches to help participants get healthy through exercise and eating right.

In 2012, Shepherd’s Hand had about 1,700 patient visits and is on pace to see roughly the same number again this year. About two-thirds are returning patients, while one-third are new patients to the clinic.

Two years ago Shepherd’s Hand started a permanent endowment fund to ensure the long-term strength of the nonprofit. The goal is to raise $1 million by 2015. To date $770,000 has been raised, according to Erickson.