Dental clinic to target needy children

Those who have neglected their not-so-pearly whites for too long because they cannot afford dental care may soon receive relief, at the least for their children.

Katy Trail Community Health will begin accepting appointments Monday for its new dental clinic expected to open Nov. 17. There’s already been “quite a bit of interest,” said Katy Trail executive director Chris Stewart.

“We’ve got a lot of folks who don’t have access to dental care,” Stewart said. “There are a limited number of dentists who accept Medicaid or Missouri Health Net.”

The dental practice will focus on preventative care for children and teenagers, with some of the typical treatments being cleanings, filling cavities and basic restorative care.

“We recognize we aren’t going to be able to address all of the oral disease in the community with our limited resources,” Stewart said.

The dentist is expected to see 1,600 patients in the first year. Dr. Nicole Medley, who is from Blue Springs, is the sole dentist. She began in July and has been developing the dental program since. Medley said she was attracted to the position here because she “wanted to feel like I’m making a difference, and this is a community where I think I can do that.”

The clinic will also employ three dental assistants. Stewart said she is actively recruiting another dentist, who she expects to begin in June 2009. She anticipates adding a dental hygienist in 2010.
Katy Trail Health’s doctor will refer the limited number of adults accepted as dental patients. The adults must already be existing patients of the health center.

“Because we know there is such tremendous expectations for our services ... the way be are going to try to identify those folks to see who we can help, is to start with existing patients,” Stewart said.

But, adults in emergency situations could receive treatment. Medley said pain and swelling could constitute an emergency. A set number of appointments will be available for the emergency visits that must be made on the day of the office visit.

Stewart said she thinks there’s a concern that patients will transfer their care to Katy Trail just to be able to get dental services, but that’s “absolutely not our intention.”

“We know we aren’t going to be able to take care of everybody,” she said. “We’re just trying to prioritize the greatest need and control the volume.”

Medley said the focus on children will help them form habits that will last throughout their life.
“If we can get the kids early, to stop the disease, they won’t be here to see me as adults — except for their six month check-up,” she said.

The need is great. Stewart said about 6,000 children are enrolled in Missouri Health Net in the area, and only three dentists are enrolled Medicaid providers. A dentist, on average, can see about 1,500 patients a year.

“So we aren’t really even scratching the surface,” Stewart said. “And that’s just kids, not all folks who are uninsured.”

Katy Dental patients can be uninsured. Payments are based on a sliding fee scale. Any emergency services cost a flat fee of $100.

Dental patients who are under 100 percent of the poverty level would pay 30 percent of the fees for service; 101 to 150 percent would pay 50 percent; and 150 to 200 percent would pay 70 percent less. The clinic targets people who make less than 200 percent of the poverty level, which would be an annual income of about $41,000 for a family of four.

The dental clinic has been a long time in the making. About two years ago, Katy Trail bought the land it needed to expand. It received $1 million last year from a state allocation to Federally Qualified Health Centers.
“We are just really anticipating being able to provide this service to the community,” Stewart said.