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Central City Concern, Multnomah County Partner to Open Dental Clinic

March 26, 2012 -- Central City Concern and the Multnomah County Health Department have joined forces to open a safety net dental clinic in downtown Portland for the uninsured and people on the Oregon Health Plan. The clinic is expected to open this fall.The county runs several dental clinics on the inner east side and in Gresham, including a clinic on SE 44th and Powell, but none are close to the downtown area.
March 25, 2012

March 26, 2012 -- Central City Concern and the Multnomah County Health Department have joined forces to open a safety net dental clinic in downtown Portland for the uninsured and people on the Oregon Health Plan. 

The clinic is expected to open this fall.

The county runs several dental clinics on the inner east side and in Gresham, including a clinic on SE 44th and Powell, but none are close to the downtown area.

“There has been a huge need on the west side for years,” said Ed Blackburn, executive director of Central City Concern. The non-profit has taken the lead in developing the clinic at its site on SW Broadway and Burnside where other health services and transitional housing are available.

“It's a great location,” Blackburn said. “It's also a really good deal for us so we don't have to get into the dental business ourselves, and can work with a partner that has a lot of experience.”

Central City has a federal grant to expand such partnerships and with its new building, this “was a natural place for the two organizations to start exploring together,” said Alyssa Franzen, DMD, dental director of Multnomah County’s Health Department. 

Clients seen at Central City are transitioning out of homelessness and often have a high need for dental services that poses barriers to employment, Blackburn said

“People in the dentistry field have known for a long time that oral health issues are very significantly related to other issues, such as diabetes and heart disease,” Blackburn said. “To get people well, having dental access is just going to be a huge step forward.”

The unmet need for dental care is felt in other areas as well. A county-run dental clinic that opened in August 2010 in the Rockwood neighborhood was at 90 percent capacity within a few months, said Julie Sullivan-Springhetti, communications officer for Multnomah County.

The Portland-area office of 211 Info, which provides information and referrals for social services, has referred 6.457 callers in Washington, Clackamas, Multnomah and Clark counties to dental resources since July 2010, of which 2,661 calls came during the last eight months, said Matt Kinshella, director of communications. Of the 75,000 calls his office receives each year, dental care is the biggest unmet need, Kinshella said.

A high number of emergency room visits are also attributable to dental problems, such as oral pain and broken teeth, said Sullivan-Springhetti. The Oregon Dental Association is attempting to track those numbers, according to its spokesperson, Christina Swartz.

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