St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is a non-profit community safety net hospital in Pontiac, and established its Mercy Dental Clinic to provide access to a full-range of quality dental services to needy children, uninsured adults, and people with disabilities, regardless of ability to pay.
Opened in June 2011, the center’s first year goal is to provide quality dental care to at least 200 disabled individuals, 200 children from needy families, and 300 uninsured adults. The Foundation’s grant will be used to support this program, private hospital-based comprehensive dental care program in Michigan. Pontiac is designated by the federal government as a medically underserved area based on the percentage of residents living below the poverty level.
The dental program links into the hospital’s Healthy Start Program that provides in-home education and support for more than 2,000 at-risk parents. It gives hospital residents an opportunity to educate parents on the dental needs of their children.
The relationship with the hospital gives the dental clinic the equipment necessary to provide treatment for such issues as dental caries in infants and toddlers. Access to sedation equipment allows the clinic to also see patients with developmental disabilities including the elderly, those suffering from Alzheimer’s, or individuals with physical or developmental impairments.
“The Mercy Dental Center will enhance the capacity of the hospital to improve the health care of the community by addressing the important role that dental health plays in overall health,” explained Dr. Craig Spangler, program director. “It will enhance the delivery of — and access to — comprehensive dental care in Southeast Michigan and will improve the well-being of hundreds of patients every year.”
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is a member of Trinity Health, the country’s fourth-largest Catholic health system, and serves as a non-profit community safety-net hospital in Pontiac.
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is a non-profit community safety net hospital in Pontiac, and established its Mercy Dental Clinic to provide access to a full-range of quality dental services to needy children, uninsured adults, and people with disabilities, regardless of ability to pay.
Opened in June 2011, the center’s first year goal is to provide quality dental care to at least 200 disabled individuals, 200 children from needy families, and 300 uninsured adults. The Foundation’s grant will be used to support this program, private hospital-based comprehensive dental care program in Michigan. Pontiac is designated by the federal government as a medically underserved area based on the percentage of residents living below the poverty level.
The dental program links into the hospital’s Healthy Start Program that provides in-home education and support for more than 2,000 at-risk parents. It gives hospital residents an opportunity to educate parents on the dental needs of their children.
The relationship with the hospital gives the dental clinic the equipment necessary to provide treatment for such issues as dental caries in infants and toddlers. Access to sedation equipment allows the clinic to also see patients with developmental disabilities including the elderly, those suffering from Alzheimer’s, or individuals with physical or developmental impairments.
“The Mercy Dental Center will enhance the capacity of the hospital to improve the health care of the community by addressing the important role that dental health plays in overall health,” explained Dr. Craig Spangler, program director. “It will enhance the delivery of — and access to — comprehensive dental care in Southeast Michigan and will improve the well-being of hundreds of patients every year.”
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is a member of Trinity Health, the country’s fourth-largest Catholic health system, and serves as a non-profit community safety-net hospital in Pontiac.