UB CARES Program relaunched with assistance of MSW interns
Published November 20, 2020
The CARES Program (Counseling, Advocacy, Referral, Education and Service), a nationally recognized collaboration between the University at Buffalo Schools of Dental Medicine and Social Work, was created as an innovative solution to address access to oral health care issues faced by a diverse population in Western New York.
The University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine (SDM) is happy to announce that the CARES Program (Counseling, Advocacy, Referral, Education and Service) is newly staffed and open for business. Under the leadership of Linwood Roberts, the new Director of CARES, the CARES Team includes social work interns Helen Gurkin and Marcylin Morgan. Jim Harris, who works under Dr. Gambacorta, will also support the program.
Since its inception, the CARES Program has advocated for thousands of less fortunate clients at the SDM. It continues to expand in new directions while maintaining three primary goals:
- To increase access to quality oral health care for special needs and difficult to reach populations.
- To provide dental students with a unique and beneficial multidisciplinary learning experience.
- To foster community partnerships with numerous agencies to address a diverse array of patient needs.
The CARES Program achieves these goals by linking the School of Dental Medicine patients with resources including Medicaid, counseling and translation services, transportation, caregiving assistance, housing and employment. CARES social worker interns work collaboratively with patients to help identify their concerns and pair them with the most appropriate community resources.
Team members can be reached Monday - Wednesday 9:00 AM - 5:oo PM, Monday - Wednesday in room 158C, or email Marcylin Morgan or Helen Gurkin directly.