A sprawling labyrinth of piney woods and lush wetlands fills the countryside of East Texas. Stretching from Texarkana to Houston, people have called this region home for centuries, taking advantage of its natural wealth to put down roots in even the most isolated areas. Today, many of these rural communities face extreme barriers to health and wellness—barriers the T.L.L. Temple Foundation has been breaking down for decades.

“There are entire counties in East Texas that have no primary care providers, including physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and dentists,” says Wynn Rosser, PhD, President and CEO of the T.L.L. Temple Foundation. “If a resident needs care, they often have to travel to another county, or another state, to reach the services they need.”

Dedicated to building a thriving East Texas, the T.L.L. Temple Foundation’s origins lie deep within the 24 counties it serves. The foundation’s beginnings date back to Thomas Lewis Latané Temple, a pioneer industrialist who helped expand the lumber industry in East Texas during the late nineteenth century. His daughter, Georgie Temple Munz, established the foundation in his honor in 1962 to give back to the people who helped the family’s business succeed.

罗瑟说：“东德克萨斯州的许多人面临贫困和粮食不安全感。”“这是社区蓬勃发展的挑战，因此基金会致力于增加机会的机会。”

Through philanthropy to initiatives in health, education, economics, human services, and arts and culture, the T.L.L. Temple Foundation is doing just that. From increasing the rural health care workforce to improving access to broadband internet, the foundation’s efforts are paving the way to a brighter future for the region.

Beginning in 2018, the foundation made a series of commitments to UTHealth School of Dentistry that continue this extraordinary legacy and help provide a new vehicle and operating expenses for the school’s longstanding Mobile Dental Van service in East Texas. As part of the Many Faces. One Mission. campaign, these commitments will provide vital resources that propel dental community outreach initiatives for years to come.

“Thanks to the T.L.L. Temple Foundation’s generosity, we will continue serving as a dependable source of oral health care for patients of all ages through the Mobile Dental Van, helping to reduce disparities in dental care and improve overall health,” says Margo Melchor, EdD, RDH, Associate Professor of Dental Hygiene and Director of Community Outreach at the School of Dentistry.

During its nearly 20 years of service, the school’s previous dental van provided thousands of dental procedures and logged more than 107,000 miles on the road in East Texas. Through partnerships with Orange Christian Services and Jasper Newton County Public Health District, the Mobile Dental Van offered free oral health care for people in the Orange and Jasper communities who would not be able to access or pay for it otherwise.

With the T.L.L. Temple Foundation’s support, the new van will have updated equipment and facilities to expand available services for vulnerable patients in rural East Texas. The van’s three dental operatories will make it possible to treat as many people as possible every day, and a wheelchair lift will ensure that everyone can access care, no matter their age or mobility concerns. New oral screening technologies and panoramic imaging will ensure that patients can be thoroughly evaluated for any signs of oral cancer and dental disease.

罗瑟解释说：“我们的一些县人口稀少，不能支持物理牙科实践。”“拥有一家移动设施，以计划的，计划的基础提供口腔保健，这对居住在德克萨斯州的人们来说有所不同。”

The new van will also enhance educational opportunities for students at the School of Dentistry. Through the Mobile Dental Van program, students are able to participate in community outreach initiatives, helping underserved families access care while encouraging students to embrace a social responsibility to serve the public.

罗瑟说：“通过增加学生的参与，我们希望对下一代的口腔健康专家感兴趣，以服务于我们这样的农村社区。”

The T.L.L. Temple Foundation’s commitment to the Mobile Dental Van builds on a partnership with UTHealth lasting more than three decades. With previous philanthropy to stroke research and The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, the foundation’s philanthropic vision continues to help communities across East Texas thrive.

新型移动牙齿货车计划于2022年上路。Temple Foundation的慷慨承诺将产生持久的不同 - 一次微笑。