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By working together,
St. Rita’s MED-CARE Health Clinic and Neighborhood Nurses have successfully
linked underserved residents in the community with the primary healthcare
they need. With access to a family doctor, regular checkups and information
on how to make healthy lifestyles choices - one thing was still missing
- dental care for families. There was no place a person with limited income
and no health insurance could go to get the dental care they needed. In
fact, many clients had never been to a dentist for a routine checkup. In
1998, St. Rita’s opened the Dental Clinic.
Last year alone, 2,000 people of all ages visited St. Rita’s Dental Clinic.
The clinic provides preventive, diagnostic and restorative dental services
including simple extractions. For complicated endodontics and extractions,
the clinic will ensure patients receive treatment from an oral surgery specialist.
The clinic has a full-time staff of a dentist, dental hygienist, dental
assistant and office coordinator. It is open 32 hours per week providing
two fully equipped operatories and separate hygiene stations.
 The
staff also recognizes the importance of educating children on good oral
hygiene early in life. It is their hope by teaching them how to brush and
floss, eat right and get regular dental checkups when they are young, these
children will establish good hygiene habits for the rest of their lives.
In 2001, the staff started a program that would not only teach children
these basic techniques, but also pair the education with a program that
would help prevent tooth decay. The dental sealant program is the only one
of its kind in the region and targets second through sixth grade students
in the Lima City Schools and is now expanding into other school systems
in the area.
Over the four years the dental clinic has been up and running, the staff
has seen first-hand the overwhelming unmet dental need. Disease they thought
had been eradicated decades ago is resurfacing in this underserved population.
The majority of the adults coming into the clinic have gone years or longer
with no dental care and have passed on these poor lifestyles habits to their
children. The staff at the clinic is trying to break this cycle of behavior
through education. Good oral hygiene is essential for general health and
well being. |
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For More Information
(419)
226-9086 |
| Location: |
658
W. Market Street
Lima, Ohio |
| Did You Know? |
| Whether
you are 8 or 80, dental care and oral hygiene are important to your
overall health. Contact St. Rita's MED-CARE Dental Clinic to learn
more about the importance of dental health. |
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