FORD’S COLONY MGA-OLDE TOWNE MEDICAL & DENTAL CENTER CHALLENGE
OTMDC: 30 YEARS OF HEALTH & WELLNESS
This is the 29th year of the Ford’s Colony Men’s Golf Association (FC MGA)-Olde Towne Medical & Dental Center (OTMDC) Challenge, the signature Ford’s Colony charity event. Last year, the MGA raised $70,000 for OTMDC which brought the total MGA contribution over 28 years to over $1.3 million.
Olde Towne Medical & Dental Center is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), community health center that provides comprehensive and cost-effective medical care integrated with behavioral health services, dental and vision care, and reduced medication costs to the uninsured and underinsured population in Greater Williamsburg. OTMDC was founded in 1993 and is located near the intersection of Longhill and Olde Towne Roads.
Some of OTMDC patients could be your lawn maintenance workers, staff at your favorite restaurant and home service providers. Uninsured patients who qualify pay a modest sliding fee based on their income. No one is turned away due to financial challenges.
Last year, OTMDC saw 3,873 patients and provided 13,085 patient visits - significantly benefiting our community by increasing wellness, decreasing health disparities, keeping people working, and lowering health care costs.
Forty-eight percent of OTMDC patients are uninsured. While about 90% of the OTMDC patients work, and many held multiple jobs, they are not covered by employer-offered insurance and cannot afford health insurance even with the Affordable Care Act.
30 YEARS OF HEALTH & WELLNESS
This year marks OTMDC’s 30th anniversary of providing health and wellness to the Williamsburg/James City/York County community. Major milestones were:
- 1993: OTMDC was born as a non-profit health center. It was created to help alleviate the overwhelmed emergency department of the local hospital by patients who were uninsured or unable to afford traditional health care. From the beginning, maternity care was a major focus of the OTMDC services.
- 1996: The dental clinic was added to expand care to those who were unable to receive dental care due to lack of insurance, ever-increasing costs of oral health care, and lack of dental practices accepting Medicaid.
- 1999: The Medication Access Program started. This allowed patients to receive discounted and sometimes free medications if patients met certain income criteria and were uninsured or Medicaid/Medicare recipients.
- 2022: Mental health services were added. By partnering with other non-profit organizations, OTMDC was able to offer integrated behavioral health care to OTMDC patients because many physical illnesses can be accompanied or caused by behavioral health conditions.
In the last 30 years, OTMDC has expanded from a primary care facility to a whole health care center and will continue to expand its services to the uninsured and underinsured in our community.
THE MGA-OTMDC CHALLENGE
The MGA-OTMDC Challenge includes a Ford’s Colony Residents Campaign and a Golf Tournament supported by local businesses. The Residents Campaign runs from April 1 until May 17 and the Golf Tournament is May 15. Last year, the Residents Campaign raised $48,910 – the second highest total ever, and the Golf Tournament raised $33,525. The $70,000 contribution was net of expenses.
YOU CAN MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE
Contributions are crucial to support OTMDC’s ability to continue to expand what they do and whom they serve. Every gift can help make a positive difference in the lives of those who might otherwise have little or no means to pay for quality health and wellness care.
We ask all to consider what you can do to support OTMDC. No contribution is too small or too large and OTMDC is deeply grateful for your support.
If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact Tom Brownlie at tbrownlie@cox.net