Cover the Uninsured Week (March 22 - 28) is an appropriate time to recognize the growing difficulty many low-income individuals face in trying to access health and dental care.
The Green County Healthy Communities Coalition includes representatives from the County Health and Human Services departments, Monroe Clinic, St. Vincent de Paul, United Way, The Monroe Times, Swiss Colony, Monroe Chamber of Commerce, Cooperative Network of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Dental Association and Southwest Wisconsin Community Action.
The coalition has been working to address the dental access problem and is pleased to announce the opening of the Fowler Memorial Dental Clinic in Monroe's Green County Pleasant View Complex on April 3.
The clinic will initially provide free emergency dental care to children, ages 3-12, living in the county with family incomes at or below 300 percent of the poverty level and no other access to dental care. School nurses, county health and social services departments and area emergency rooms will identify children in need of emergency dental treatment. After emergency treatment is completed, follow-up care is being arranged with the upcoming FQHC in Darlington.
The clinic is staffed largely by volunteers, including dentists, dental hygienists and assistants and community members providing general help. Please call Fowler Memorial Dental Clinic Coordinator AnnaMaria Bliven at (608) 328-9404 or send an e-mail to fowlerclinic@greencounty.org to volunteer your time and talents.
The new dental clinic is made possible through generous funding from Dr. Don Fowler's estate, Delta Dental of Wisconsin, C.G. Smith, Monroe Clinic, WDA Foundation, Amcore Bank and many individual contributors. Administrative support is being provided by SWCAP.
Some 1 million residents participate in Wisconsin's dental Medicaid, BadgerCare and BadgerCare Plus programs every year. Yet, state and federal governments in Wisconsin spend less than 1 percent, or just $38 million of a $4.4 billion annual medical assistance budget, on oral health programs for children and adults. Eighty percent of states spend a higher percentage.
Low-income patients suffer the most trying to find a dental office for routine care.
Lawmakers' failure to sufficiently fund dental care limits the ability of many dental offices to provide needed treatment. Dental offices are small businesses and can't absorb too much income loss.
Publicly-funded and community dental clinics play a valuable role in addressing access to dental care services, but charity care should not have to be the solution to access to care.
Increasing access depends on additional financial investment by the state.
- Dr. Rodriguez is volunteer director and Fowler Dental Clinic director.
The Green County Healthy Communities Coalition includes representatives from the County Health and Human Services departments, Monroe Clinic, St. Vincent de Paul, United Way, The Monroe Times, Swiss Colony, Monroe Chamber of Commerce, Cooperative Network of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Dental Association and Southwest Wisconsin Community Action.
The coalition has been working to address the dental access problem and is pleased to announce the opening of the Fowler Memorial Dental Clinic in Monroe's Green County Pleasant View Complex on April 3.
The clinic will initially provide free emergency dental care to children, ages 3-12, living in the county with family incomes at or below 300 percent of the poverty level and no other access to dental care. School nurses, county health and social services departments and area emergency rooms will identify children in need of emergency dental treatment. After emergency treatment is completed, follow-up care is being arranged with the upcoming FQHC in Darlington.
The clinic is staffed largely by volunteers, including dentists, dental hygienists and assistants and community members providing general help. Please call Fowler Memorial Dental Clinic Coordinator AnnaMaria Bliven at (608) 328-9404 or send an e-mail to fowlerclinic@greencounty.org to volunteer your time and talents.
The new dental clinic is made possible through generous funding from Dr. Don Fowler's estate, Delta Dental of Wisconsin, C.G. Smith, Monroe Clinic, WDA Foundation, Amcore Bank and many individual contributors. Administrative support is being provided by SWCAP.
Some 1 million residents participate in Wisconsin's dental Medicaid, BadgerCare and BadgerCare Plus programs every year. Yet, state and federal governments in Wisconsin spend less than 1 percent, or just $38 million of a $4.4 billion annual medical assistance budget, on oral health programs for children and adults. Eighty percent of states spend a higher percentage.
Low-income patients suffer the most trying to find a dental office for routine care.
Lawmakers' failure to sufficiently fund dental care limits the ability of many dental offices to provide needed treatment. Dental offices are small businesses and can't absorb too much income loss.
Publicly-funded and community dental clinics play a valuable role in addressing access to dental care services, but charity care should not have to be the solution to access to care.
Increasing access depends on additional financial investment by the state.
- Dr. Rodriguez is volunteer director and Fowler Dental Clinic director.
