Health department receives grant to begin dental clinic

[October 12, 2010]  The Logan County Department of Public Health recently received notice from the Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation that it would be the recipient of a grant worth $128,000 to open a dental clinic. The dental clinic will be housed at the health department in its current location at 109 Third St. in Lincoln.

Plans are under way to remodel three existing medical exam rooms, converting them into dental rooms. Once the remodeling phase is complete and staff is hired, the health department plans to begin scheduling dental appointments.

The Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation has a single vision: to ensure every child in Illinois has the opportunity to grow up healthy. Working through grantee partners across the state, the foundation focuses its grant-making on identifying and funding solutions to the barriers that prevent children from accessing the ongoing health care they need.

The foundation's philosophy is that health care must address the whole child and that the health care system in Illinois must be responsive to the needs of all children. The foundation is also committed to the concept of a medical and dental home where children and their families can receive high-quality and consistent care in a setting that has a primary focus on prevention and facilitates a strong relationship between those who come in contact with a child.

Recently oral health was selected as a priority as part of the Community Health Needs Assessment conducted in Logan County.

"Healthy teeth and gums are recognized as important to overall well-being," according to Mark Hilliard, administrator of the health department.

Poor oral health contributes to other significant health problems such as premature birth, infant mortality, cancer and heart disease. A critical issue in Logan County is that children and adults lack access to, or don't make effective use of, preventive dental care and treatment.

Initially the health department plans to begin seeing children through age 18 and pregnant women, all of whom are on Medicaid. The anticipated opening date for the dental clinic is June 1 next year.

[Text from file received from the Logan County Department of Public Health]

Logan County Department of Public Health
Public Health Administrator Mark Hilliard
109 Third St., P.O. Box 508
Lincoln, IL 62656
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Web: www.lcdph.org

Previous related articles

• August 2009: Health department prepares for questionable financial times
  A need for additional public health care
  (The hope of a large grant last year fell through.)

• October 2008: Logan County Department of Public Health plans to start new year with dental clinic