Neighborhood Services Organization

Transforming lives and encouraging independence through safe, healthy homes, dental care and nutrition.

Location: Oklahoma
Website: Neighborhood Services Organization
Grant amount: $100,000

For a century, Neighborhood Services Organization (NSO) has been a beacon of hope for Oklahoma City's most vulnerable residents, transforming lives and encouraging independence through safe housing, nutritional support, and critically needed dental care.

Since 2012, Neighborhood Services Organization (NSO) has been addressing Oklahoma's poor oral health outcomes and operates the only low-cost dental clinic in Oklahoma, addressing a critical healthcare gap in a state with alarming oral health statistics. Their Oral Health Outreach Program, which was established in 2012 provides essential education, free dental screenings, and dental referrals to thousands of low-income individuals who would otherwise go without vital care. The dental clinic offers a full range of affordable dental services with no qualifying restrictions, extended hours and payment options that remove potential insurance barriers.

In 2024 alone, NSO's Oral Health Outreach Program served 63 partner sites across Oklahoma, touching the lives of over 100,000 individuals through their combined programs. With the $1000,000 Health Access Hero Award grant, NSO will expand their reach even further, creating professional bilingual educational materials and aiming to assist 35,000 Oklahomans, including expanded services in the Oklahoma City Public School District.

NSO's commitment to community wellbeing extends beyond oral health. They also provide transitional housing for vulnerable populations, including domestic violence survivors and young men aging out of foster care. Their services include permanent supportive housing for homeless adults with mental illness, rental assistance programs preventing family homelessness, and WIC clinic services providing nutrition education and support to pregnant women and children up to age 5. Through their commitment and community partnerships, NSO is transforming lives and building a healthier Oklahoma.

Over and over again, our data here in Oklahoma demonstrates that critical health problems in our state, it's the most vulnerable population - which are veterans, communities of color, low-income pop persons who face the poorest oral health. So again, just another issue here in our state. And one of the greatest barriers to oral health is access to care and even understanding how to care for teeth in the first place.