New dental clinic provides care to underserved populations

Navya Chauhan
Wed, 16 Oct 2024 02:00:56 +0000
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From left to right: Jay Anderson, Sen. Stephanie Kunze, Candy Rinehart, Sen. Hershel Craig, Linda Mauger and Karen Rose at the grand opening of a new dental clinic at Outpatient Care East. Credit: Andrew Weber via The Ohio State University College of Nursing

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Outpatient Care East center has expanded to provide dental services to underserved populations through a new dental clinic.?

Located at 543 Taylor Ave., the clinic is a part of Ohio State’s Total Health and Wellness Care Center, which is a Federally Qualified Health Center. Candy Rinehart, nurse practitioner and chief executive officer of the Total Health and Wellness Center, said the center receives federal funding, enabling the nurse-practitioner-led practice to provide comprehensive primary care to underserved areas in Columbus’ Near East Side neighborhood, regardless of financial limitations.

Dr. Matthew Messina, associate professor in Ohio State’s College of Dentistry and clinical and clinic director for Ohio State Upper Arlington Dentistry, said the creation of the new dental clinic was made possible by a partnership between Ohio State’s colleges of nursing and dentistry, a recent addition to the Total Health Center’s longstanding mission of providing care to under-resourced areas.?

“We are going where the patients are,” said Messina. “It is challenging sometimes for people to come to the dentist, so the closer that the dentist’s office is to where they are is an advantage.”

Rinehart said beyond dental services, the center also offers access to women’s health services, case managers, social workers, community health workers, pharmacists, dieticians and primary care providers.

“I call it a one-stop shop,” Rinehart said. “It’s not just your medical care. The social determinants of health are addressed.”?

Messina said longevity was an important aspect of the dental clinic’s creation.

“Dentistry is a pillar of good overall health,” Messina said. “This is not just an emergency clinic; we are taking care of people who have emergent issues, but the goal is for the people of the community to come to the dentist on a regular basis. We will be a dental home for them and keep them healthy for a lifetime, especially for families and kids. We are building good habits for a lifetime.”

With a grand opening on Oct.1, the new dental clinic was made possible through Ohio Sen. Hearcel Craig’s help in securing $1.2 million in state funding to carry out the clinic’s creation.?

Craig celebrated the clinic’s grand opening alongside community members at the Outpatient Care East location, where he also spoke about his role in advocating at the Ohio Statehouse to provide dental health for families, according to the Ohio Senate website.

Rinehart said the Total Health and Wellness Center has plans to further broaden its resources to provide comprehensive care to Columbus community members. Some of these envisioned developments include mental health support and substance abuse treatment.?

More information about the Total Health Care Center can be found on its website.