Stacey HudsonDr. Chad Brantley, chief dental officer of Christ Community Health Services in Augusta, Georgia, epitomizes the latter group, as do the other dentists who staff the clinic.
“I was drawn to the mission and opportunity to serve people who need quality, affordable dental care,” says Brantley, a 2014 DCG alumnus who joined the clinic in 2016.
The nonprofit clinic offers affordable primary health and dental care to the uninsured and underserved. The clinic is “an incarnation ministry through a community of believers who use their particular gifts to care for the poor and who bring them into their fellowships,” according to the clinic’s founders, Drs. Robert Campbell and Grant Scarborough.
“We treat patients with dignity and respect, regardless of what they believe, and that opens the door for us to share the Gospel with them if they ask for it,” says Jeff Drake, executive director. “We’re a group that believes Jesus Christ is Lord, and that’s why we’re here: to care for others.”
Dr. Joshua DuBose (’05), who along with Dr. Cherie Murray (’16) joined the clinic in 2020, finds the clinic’s philosophy a natural extension of his own approach to health care. “Our family had just returned from four years in Peru as dental missionaries,” he says. “This opportunity enables me to utilize my Spanish, share the Gospel with patients and treat the underserved.”
Augusta’s University Hospital refers patients without a primary-care physician to the clinic, easing the burden on emergency rooms. The clinic also serves as a rotation site for DCG students, providing a comprehensive clinical experience that ideally will heighten their interest in treating the underserved.
For more information about the clinic, visit https://www.cchsaugusta.org/dental-health.
