Karis Health Secures $100K Lifeline to Expand Rural Tennessee Care

CLEVELAND, Tenn. – December 17, 2025 – Karis Community Health, a cornerstone provider for low-income adults in Bradley County, has received a significant boost in its mission to serve the underserved. The faith-based nonprofit was named a 2025 Health Access Hero by Sun Life U.S. and its dental benefits subsidiary, DentaQuest, an award that includes a transformative $100,000 grant. The funds are earmarked to help the organization break through its capacity constraints and expand desperately needed healthcare services into neighboring Polk County and beyond.

For years, Karis has been a critical safety net, evolving from a dental-focused clinic into an integrated health center. The new funding marks a pivotal moment, enabling the organization to address a long-standing gap in regional healthcare access.

An Answered Prayer for Overburdened Services

Since its founding in 2015, Karis Community Health has provided more than $13 million in dental services alone, establishing itself as an essential community resource. The organization, whose name “Karis” is Greek for “grace,” initially launched as Karis Dental to address the significant lack of affordable adult dental care. However, staff quickly recognized that their patients' oral health issues were often intertwined with other unmanaged medical conditions. This realization prompted an expansion to include primary medical care, chronic disease management, and health education.

Today, Karis offers a comprehensive suite of services to uninsured or under-insured adults with household incomes at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. Its clinics provide everything from dental fillings, crowns, and dentures to medical physicals, chronic disease management, and lab services. Despite its impact, the demand has consistently outstripped its resources.

"This grant is helping close a huge gap we've been trying to fill for a long time," said Karis Community Health Executive Director and co-founder Kelly Ohlsson. "Our services are needed in Polk County and beyond, but we've had to say no these requests because our capacity was at max. Bradley County itself is too much as it is. For us to be able to expand with this grant is just an answer to a prayer and a dream come true for the community, and for me personally as a cofounder."

Confronting a Widening Healthcare Divide

The expansion into Polk County addresses one of the most acute pockets of need in Tennessee. While Karis has been a lifeline in Bradley County—where 11.2% of the under-65 population is uninsured—the situation in adjacent Polk County is even more dire. A fully rural county, Polk saw over 2,300 residents living without health insurance in 2024. Its uninsured rate of 13% and a poverty rate of 17.5% significantly exceed state averages, creating a perfect storm of high need and low access.

This challenge is emblematic of a broader crisis in rural American healthcare. Rural communities nationwide grapple with systemic barriers, including severe workforce shortages, the financial fragility of local clinics, and geographic isolation. Residents often face higher rates of chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, coupled with fewer resources to manage them. For many in Polk County, the nearest affordable dental or medical provider is a long drive away, a significant barrier for those with limited transportation and income.

The grant allows Karis to directly confront these disparities by bringing its proven model of integrated care to a population that has been largely left behind. By extending services, the organization aims to improve health outcomes, reduce reliance on costly emergency room visits, and provide the preventative care and education necessary for long-term well-being.

Strategic Philanthropy as a Healthcare Catalyst

The Health Access Hero Award is a key component of Sun Life and DentaQuest’s corporate social responsibility strategy, which focuses on making a tangible impact on community health. The annual program has provided more than $3.5 million in grants to over 130 organizations and individuals who are developing innovative solutions to longstanding healthcare challenges. The program reflects a model of strategic philanthropy, where corporate resources are deployed to empower grassroots organizations already doing effective work on the ground.

"Sun Life and DentaQuest are committed to broadening access to care through philanthropic initiatives that can have large-scale impact at local levels. Karis Community Health is doing the hard work to bring what can be life-changing dentistry to areas in need," said Dr. Todd Gray, chief dental officer for Sun Life U.S. "Over the years, we have had the privilege of supporting many incredible programs and witnessing the meaningful results achieved in their communities. To Karis Community Health, thank you for the opportunity to help make your impact even stronger and move the needle toward increased access to oral healthcare for all."

This philosophy is deeply embedded in DentaQuest's mission. As the nation's largest administrator of Medicaid and CHIP dental benefits, the company champions an approach called Preventistry®—an inclusive model centered on preventive, quality care and expanded access. By supporting organizations like Karis, the company furthers its goal of integrating oral health with overall health and creating a more equitable system, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.

A Model for Bridging the Rural Care Gap

The partnership between Karis Community Health and its corporate benefactors provides a powerful example of how public health challenges can be tackled through collaborative effort. While the $100,000 grant provides a critical injection of capital, the road ahead for expanding into a new county involves surmounting the very obstacles that create rural health deserts in the first place: recruiting qualified medical and dental professionals, establishing infrastructure, and building trust within a new community.

However, the funding provides the essential catalyst to begin that work in earnest. It transforms the conversation for Karis's leadership from one of managing scarcity to one of strategic growth. For the thousands of uninsured residents in Polk County, it means the possibility of receiving consistent, compassionate care is no longer a distant dream but an approaching reality. This investment not only validates the decade of work Karis has dedicated to its community but also equips it to write the next chapter of its mission, one patient at a time.