The foundation used money raised from its October, 1999 String of Pearls fundraiser to provide a new nitrous oxide anesthesia machine, a root apex locator and a high-speed handpiece drill to the Stanislaus Dental Clinic. The dental clinic is located at the Health Services Agency's Medical Arts Building at 700 17th Street in Modesto.

According to Dr. Melanie Espinosa of the Health Services Agency, "this additional anesthesia machine will decrease appointment scheduling times for anxious young children who have significant dental problems."

The new root apex locator is used for root canal procedures. This allows the HSA dentists to accurately measure the root, decreasing the amount of time patients spend in the dental chair and cutting down on the number of x-rays needed. The high-speed handpiece drill is used for fillings and other various procedures,

The new equipment has been delivered and is in use.

The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency (HSA) is an outpatient medical system with 9 medical offices located throughout Stanislaus County. The HSA operates the Public Health Department, an Urgent Care Center and multiple programs serving over 400,000 patients and clients each year in Stanislaus County. The HSA also is in local partnerships for the MOMobile project and the Stanislaus Family Practice Residency Program. The HSA has extensive community health information available at its web site www.schsa.org