May 28, 2015
Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) CEO Raymond Studley, and Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian, Chairman of RIPTA’s Board of Directors, announced today that RIPTA will again extend its service to offer an affordable transportation option to the Rhode Island Mission of Mercy (RIMOM) free dental clinic at the Community College of Rhode Island’s (CCRI) Lincoln Campus on Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31. Doors open at 6am.
On Saturday, May 30, 2015, passengers can use regularly scheduled service on Route 51 (Charles St.) or Route 54 (Lincoln/Woonsocket) to travel to CCRI. In order to accommodate the clinic’s 6am opening time, RIPTA will provide supplementary service beginning from 5:45am to 6:55am; passengers can board a RIPTA bus marked “SPECIAL” at Bus Stop Y in Kennedy Plaza during that time. On Sunday, May 31st, passengers can board a RIPTA bus marked “SPECIAL” at Bus Stop Y in Kennedy Plaza. Trips will run from Kennedy Plaza to CCRI every hour beginning at 5:45am with the last trip departing CCRI at 6:20pm. Schedule information is posted further below. The fare for this service will be the regular bus fare of $2.00 one-way.
The RIMOM program will provide free dental care to the uninsured, the underinsured and anyone who otherwise has difficulty getting to a dentist. Those who arrive for care and do not have any medically-compromising conditions that will prevent them from receiving care will be treated on a first-come, first-served basis based on oral health needs.
The CCRI Dental Hygiene clinic is a 25-chair, fully-equipped dental center, with digital radiography, a sterilization center and electronic dental records. The clinic will be staffed with over 360 dental and medical volunteers and over 225 community volunteers.
“Good oral health is a critical part of one’s overall well-being, and RIPTA is once again pleased to offer this service to ensure that people have access to affordable, good-quality dental care,” Mayor Scott Avedisian said.
For more information about RIMOM, visit www.rimom.org. For RIPTA schedules and more information, passengers may call 401-781-9400 or visit www.RIPTA.com.