This fall, the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD) is taking a stand against medical and dental problems, especially the ones that plague the uninsured.

“Despite the Affordable Care Act, we are still seeing a significant number of Rochester-area adults who are uninsured or underinsured,” said Seth Tobolsky, a second-year medical student at the school.

The school has decided to open a UR Well Student Outreach Clinic, which will be located at St. Luke Tabernacle Community Church. It is intended to serve the Maplewood neighborhood. This will be the school’s third UR Well clinic in the city.

On Sept. 17, an open house is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s, located at 1261 Dewey Ave. in Rochester. Local media, residents, and leaders are encouraged to attend.

The walk-in clinic will start providing free health care services on Sept. 24, and it will be the first UR Well clinic that offers translation for its Spanish-speaking patients. Approximately 4.5% of Rochester’s population, or over 53,000 people, are Spanish-dominant speakers. “We suspect we will reach even more (uninsured patients) when language is no longer a barrier for some of them,” added Tobolsky.

To start, the clinic will be open on the last Wednesday of each month for two hours, and will take patients on a walk-in basis. In 2013, the school’s clinics served about 400 people and were able to provide approximately $170,000 worth of free dental and medical services.

Although Monroe County compares well to the rest of the state — only about 7% of residents lack health insurance as of 2012 Census numbers, compared to 11% statewide — this still amounts to approximately 50,000 people. Among the unemployed, 24% have no health insurance, which can often serve to exacerbate existing health problems. It’s also worth noting that medical insurance plans do not always include dental coverage — for this reason many people avoid care until they have emergency dental problems.

Hopefully, the Affordable Care Act will eventually lead to the uninsured finally receiving health insurance. For children, this can help to ensure that healthy habits are established at a young age. Considering that there has been a 300% increase in demand for cosmetic dentistry in the past five years, there may be hope for encouraging people to invest in the future health of their teeth and bodies.