Alise Moss Vetica, a Democrat, member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and health care activist, is helping to bring a dental van to Port Townsend Jan. 27-28 to serve the homeless.

“People without homes have the least access to health and dental care of anyone,” said Moss Vetica. “And we know that dental health contributes to overall health.”

The Mercy Missions mobile dental van is a program of Serving Others Worldwide, which is a nonprofit global outreach program of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The van is set to be at Pope Marine Building from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days and is expected to be able to accommodate the needs of 40 people.

Jefferson County dentists James Cunnington, Ryan Gile and David Chuljian, hygienist Jenna Colosimo, and Admiralty Dental Center dental assistants Ashley Arndt and Wendy Olson all have volunteered their services.

“The target group first is the Winter Shelter participants,” said Moss Vetica, “but then the city said, ‘Why not include people who go to the Boiler Room?’”

While Moss Vetica still was working Monday on the details of the event, she also was planning a second visit from the van.

“The next time they come, we’ll have a bigger thing,” she said, “but for now, we need to go with what the sponsors wanted.”

A Democrat precinct committee officer for Kala Point, Moss Vetica brought the idea of helping fund  the van to a meeting of the Jefferson County Democrats last November as the party was considering its year-end contributions toward unmet social service needs.

Bruce Cowan, former chair of the Jefferson County Democrats, said Democrats welcomed the idea of allocating $1,000 for the mobile dental van visit, recognizing that homeless people lack access to many health services.

“In the short term, we hope to see this van return often, but we really need public policies that make care accessible,” Cowan said.

Other groups assisting in the bringing the van to Port Townsend are the City of Port Townsend, Jefferson County Public Health, Washington Dental Service Foundation, Cedarbrook Adventist Christian School, Community Outreach Association Shelter Team (COAST), which runs the Winter Shelter, and Community Health Access, a citizens group working to address accessible services.

“With our local dental needs in Jefferson County, and with such strong partner support shown for this event in our community, I am certain the mobile dental van clinic will return to Port Townsend often,” said Moss Vetica.