Free Clinic Opening New Pediatric Dental Clinic May 14   The Rockbridge Area Free Clinic will open a new Pediatric Dental Clinic on May 14, 2009 at its facility at 25 Northridge Lane in Lexington. The clinic will provide comprehensive dental care focused primarily on children, aged 9 through 14, who live in Rockbridge County or the cities of Buena Vista and Lexington. Services provided will be dental exams, radiographs, a comprehensive treatment plan, restoratives (fillings), extractions, cleanings, as well as fluoride and sealant treatments as age appropriate. In January 2008, the Free Clinic opened an adult dental program in its new, dental facility at 25 Northridge Lane. This next important step in the clinic’s dental program evolvement has been made possible by a recent generous grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Pediatric dental staff are: Raymond G. Bodley, DDS of Raphine, Fei Wang, dental hygienist of Roanoke, Carol Tyree and Anne Plante, dental assistants of Buena Vista and Lexington, respectively, and Matthew Hafen of Buena Vista, program manager. “We look forward to helping fill in this large gap in the overall healthcare of our area children. Our target population will be children who have no dental insurance,” Executive Director Suzanne Sheridan said. She explained that children with Medicaid, FAMIS, SCHIP and other insurances may be served by the Lexington Health Department and some area dentists and, “we do not want to compete with those existing services. Instead, we seek to reach dentally uninsured children who are without a dental home.” “We know from the Kaiser Family Foundation that dental care is the most widespread unmet health need among children in our country and we look forward to helping fill in that large service gap for our area children,” Sheridan went on. “Our eligibility guidelines for the children’s dental program are targeted to help those that fall through the cracks of government or privately funded dental programs. The income guidelines are as follows:       Family Size           Monthly Income      Annual Income           1                    $3,610          $43,320           2                    $4,858          $58,280           3                    $6,104          $73,240           4                    $7,350          $88,220           5                    $8,598      $103,160           6                    $9,844      $118,120           7                $11,090 $133,080           8                $12,338      $148,050           Dental services will focus on prevention as well as direct dental care and will consist of an initial prevention and education appointment with the pediatric dental staff, child, and parent. Pediatric dental clinics will be held each Thursday from 9am to 4pm. There is a modest administrative fee for each dental visit. Informational brochures and applications will be distributed in area schools and other public locations, as well as available in the Free Clinic lobby. For more information, contact the Dental Care Coordinator at 540-464-8700, extension 112.

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