PHOTO COURTESY OF MISSION OF MERCY PITTSBURGH

Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh plans to offer free medical and dental services in August — but it needs more than 1,000 volunteers to make it happen.

As a signature program of A Call to Care, Mission of Mercy has hosted an annual, two-day dental clinic for years, geared toward providing care for those who need it and would otherwise go without. In 2021 alone, it served 952 patients — most of whom were uninsured — through the participation of 1,033 volunteers. 

For its 2022 event, slated for Aug. 5-6 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown, the nonprofit will offer vision and hearing care for the first time, too, including eye exams, eyeglass fittings, free eyeglasses and hearing aid fittings for free hearing aids. These additional resources, it says, provide attendees ages 2 and older with the option to receive a broader range of health care services in one visit. 

All services will be provided at no charge, and there are no income, eligibility or preregistration requirements to receive care. Doors will close when the clinic has reached capacity for the day.

Mission of Mercy is seeking the following specialists to volunteer their time and services to the clinic: 

• Dentists 
• Hygienists/dental assistants 
• Dental students/faculty
• Pharmacists 
• Nurses and nurse practitioners
• Physicians and PAs
• Lab techs 
• Radiologists 
• Vision imaging technicians 
• Opticians 
• Ophthamologists 
• Refractionists 
• Audiologists 
• Audiology assistants 
• Audiology graduate students

General volunteers are also needed to “act as ambassadors and assist with hospitality, check in, on-site administrative tasks, setup, breakdown and more,” program officials said in a press release. Volunteers will participate in a training session and will be provided with meals on the days they serve. For volunteers from out of town looking to stay the night in the Pittsburgh area, reduced lodging rates will be available at The Westin Pittsburgh hotel, across the street from the convention center.

To learn more or register to volunteer, visit Mission of Mercy’s website.