Wilson Says Funding for new Clinic continues to be a priority for her
Albuquerque, NM - Congresswoman Heather Wilson wants to see a new dental clinic building to serve New Mexicans who otherwise wouldn't have dental care. Today, she toured the existing facility, Community Dental, and announced that she's made significant progress in securing $300,000 to kick-start construction costs.
Wilson says her funding request for the low-income dental clinic was included in this year's Labor, Health & Human Services and Education Appropriations Act of fiscal year 2008. The legislation was approved in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 276-140 on July 19, 2007.
"Community Dental does more than just fill teeth, they fill an important need every day for people who would otherwise not have access to dental care," Wilson said. "This is an important step in securing this funding for New Mexico, and I hope the Senate will soon pass a funding bill that includes this funding. This new facility will directly serve thousands of Albuquerque area residents who need Community Dental to be here and able to serve at full capacity."
Sixty-four percent of all 3rd graders in NM experience tooth decay, and 34% have untreated tooth decay. Wilson says Community Dental helps many people in Albuquerque who otherwise would go without dental care. She also says it's clear to her that they could do much more with more resources - a new building and new equipment.
Last year Community Dental Service, Inc. treated more than 16,000 patients, with a total of approximately 48,000 patient visits. Nearly 22,000 patient visits were children under 17 years old. More than half of the dental care the facility provides is for emergency dental care.
"The health of our mouth is very important to overall well-being," says Wilson. "Just ask anybody who is suffering from a toothache how important good dental care is so that we can lead productive and full-filling lives. I'm committed to securing funding for this project and will keep working in Congress to see this through to the end."
Joanne A. Bahnsen and her husband rely on the dental care available at this clinic and are supportive of Wilson's efforts to help pay for a new facility to better serve Community Dental's patients.
"We live on our Social Security and a tiny bit more, and can't afford the regular dentists," says Bahnsen. "We can pay community's lower prices, however, and hope they can get some assistance to get a better building." |