Kennett Square’s La Comunidad Hispana has been awarded a grant of $350,000 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to open a new dental center to serve southern Chester County.

From this fall, the new center on McFarlan Road in Kennett Square will provide access to dental care for low-income residents. At present, uninsured clients either have to travel to Coatesville or West Chester to reach the nearest available services, or go without.  

“Nearly half of our clients have not seen a dentist in a year or more,” commented LCH Medical Director Cindy Schmeltz, DNP, FNP-C, CRNP. “We know that oral care is an essential component of overall health. We see so many dental problems during patient visits, and now we will be able to get them the care they need right in their own backyard.”

President and CEO, Alisa Jones said that the new dental care center, which will open no later than October, will help LCH reach an even higher number of underserved individuals and strengthen the overall health of the community.

According to the 2015 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, there are close to 17,000 adults in southern Chester County in need of a dental visit. Over 3,300 children have also not been examined by a dentist within the last year.

The center will use the same model currently used by other LCD services and will accept Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, and private insurance. A sliding scale will be used for uninsured patients, but no patient will be turned away for inability to pay.

Check out previous VISTA Today coverage of La Comunidad Hispana here.