ANNA, Ill. (WSIL) -- Tiffany Ticer walked back towards Anna-Jonesboro Community High School carrying a bag of items she got inside.
Ticer, of Ware, Illinois, went to the high school, not a doctor's office, to seek dental care.
Ticer lives on public aid and the earliest dentist appointment she could get was set for January. She took care of her teeth six months early.
"They are going to pull some teeth today and pull some more tomorrow," Ticer said.
It's all thanks to Innovative Readiness Training, or IRT. It's a program offered by the U.S. Department of Defnese that offers different services across the country.
IRT is in southern Illinois and southeast Missouri for three free medical care clinics that are set to end June 20.
The program allows people to walk in without an appointment, fill out paperwork and wait to be seen by a medical specialist. People don't need to bring identification, paperwork or have insurance.
Ticer plans to take advantage of a program meant to help those who are uninsured or have low income.
"My boys have to have eye exams, physical and dental exams before they start back in school in August," Ticer said. "Might as well get it done now for free."
The DOD partnered with Shawnee Development Council to bring IRT to the high school for the first time, a benefit to the elderly and those with few transportation options, says program manager Victor Duckworth.
"We're more likely to get people who can't make it to the doctor on regular visits, dentist, they may not have healthcare in the area," Duckworth said.
From 2021 to 2022 IRT performed more than 127,000 procedures to nearly 30,000 patients, an estimated value of $9 million dollars.
Commander Joseph Ciacci, a neurologist for the U.S. Navy, says he's proud to serve his country in this way. Ciacci says people need to come in early and take advantage.
"This is typically a yearly event, perhaps sometimes more frequently depending on need," Ciacci said.
The clinics are being held at the high school, Miner Baptist Church in Sikeston, Missouri and Three Rivers College Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
HOURS:
June 13: 9am- 6:30pm
June 14: 9am- 5:30pm
June 15: 9am- 6:30pm
June 16: 9am- 5:30pm
June 17: 8am- 5:30pm
June 18: NO SERVICE
June 19: 9am- 5:30pm
June 20: 8am- 5:30pm
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Sikeson: (573) 258-0419
Poplar Bluff: (573) 714-4562
Illinois: (618) 634-2201
