An annual two-day free dental clinic that has treated more than 1,000 people a year has been called off for 2009.

With more people losing their jobs and insurance, free dentistry is in increasingly higher demand.

For two years the Roanoke Mission of Mercy dental clinic has been a spring event at the Roanoke Civic Center, but scheduling conflicts forced organizers to turn their attention to spring 2010 instead of during the fall this year, said Pat Young, the project manager.

"It is such a dire need," Young said of the lack of access to dental care for the low-income and uninsured.

Organizers face escalating costs and may change the location. Also, city officials have decided to charge Mission of Mercy part of the cost of using the civic center.

In April 2007 more than 1,100 people received dental care over two days, as patients waited hours for X-rays, extractions, fillings and cleanings. At least 400 people were turned away that year.

Last year, about 1,300 were served during a two-day clinic in May, with more than 200 turned away.

This year, the clinic was planned for two days in October, and the turnout was expected to surpass the two previous years.

"It was going to be Oct. 16 and 17," Young said. "We discovered two weeks ago there were significant scheduling conflicts with conventions nationally at a state level that would impact provider recruitment. The fewer dentists we get, the fewer people we can help."

A national oral surgery conference and a regional dental association event are both planned for that weekend.

Those involved in the clinic include community dental providers and volunteers, students from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, Virginia Western Community College's school of dental hygiene, the Virginia Dental Association and Open Door Clinic of Alamance County, N.C.

Last year, 915 volunteers were on hand, including 84 dentists, 62 dental hygienists, 79 dental assistants, 44 VCU students and six VCU faculty. Oral surgeons extracted 2,023 teeth, while 22 sets of dentures were made on-site and one biopsy to check for oral cancer was performed.

Escalating costs

Besides running into scheduling conflicts, organizers also face increased costs.

"Expenses are going up all around," said Robin Haldiman, who leads the Roanoke Mission of Mercy executive committee. "Costs are going up across the board, and it's taking longer to raise the funds."

Among those expenses is the cost to use the Roanoke Civic Center.

During the first two years, the city waived all costs: $8,200 in 2007 and $13,000 in 2008, Roanoke Assistant City Manager Jim Grigsby said.

"We saw this as an escalating issue," Grigsby said of the costs. "It's one of these things where it's really hard to say no to because it does so much good."

The city decided in October it would place a limit of $7,500 on the fees waived. That equates to the rent of the building for three days (organizers take a day to set up and the clinic runs for two days).

"Any direct cost above that Mission of Mercy would have to cover," Grigsby said. "We felt that was fairly magnanimous."

Costs include paying for staff labor in setting up and cleaning the space and any items needed for the event, such as tables. Young estimated those costs could total $6,000.

Given the state of the city budget crunch, Young said the Mission of Mercy understood the need to charge for some of the costs.

"I feel the city of Roanoke's offer to pay for the rent is very generous," she said.

While organizers are not upset about the arrangement, Vice Mayor Sherman Lea said he thinks the city could offer a more generous deal.

"I think I would like to see us do something a little better and do more with them," Lea said. "Sometimes we may have to extend the hand of passion and go beyond the dollar bill. It's not all about the dollar bill. I know that's hard to say given the financial time."

Young emphasized the increased costs associated with the civic center had nothing to do with postponing the clinic.

"I have no doubt in my mind that we are going to raise the money we need for this project," Young said. "We have very strong support."

Still Young said the group is looking for other donors, including someone to donate food for volunteers and patients. In the past, the Mission of Mercy has paid for the food.

A change of venue?

City officials also suggested organizers look at using other facilities in the area and think about bringing in corporate sponsors.

"We thought it could be a much more global, broader base then just the city of Roanoke," Grigsby said.

In exchange for the city's support in the past, priority was given to city residents on the first day of the clinic. While 23 percent of people served in 2008 didn't report their ZIP codes, of those who did nearly half were city residents, according to the Mission of Mercy.

Organizers are considering alternative sites as they look to meet the demands of their budget and scheduling issues. A 2010 date and place should be established later this week, Young said.

Still the civic center has provided organizers with a list of available spring 2010 dates, said Chris Connolly, the general manager of the center.

"Now we're trying to accommodate them," Connolly said. "We're hopeful it will work out. We're just in a holding pattern right now."