DUBLIN – The Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF) has awarded the Community Health Center of the New River Valley (CHCNRV) $148,400 to underwrite the salary and benefits of a full-time dentist at its new dental clinic in Dublin. The VHCF-funded dentist will enable CHCNRV to begin providing dental care as well as medical and behavioral health services at its Pulaski/Radford location. Now open, the new dental clinic is expected to treat more than 1,200 local residents this year.
“We are proud to invest in the Community Health Center of the New River Valley’s new dental center,” said Deborah Oswalt, VHCF’s Executive Director. “There is a clear need for increased access to affordable oral health care in Radford and Pulaski County, both of which are currently designated as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas by the Health Resources and Services Administration. With four fully-equipped dental operatories and a new talented dentist, the recently opened dental clinic will help ensure all Pulaski County residents have access to oral health care.”
This is one of 16 grants totaling $1.7 million recently awarded by VHCF to increase access to medical, dental, and behavioral health services throughout Virginia. Over $500,000 of these grants is dedicated to increasing access to dental services for uninsured Virginians. The Virginia Health Care Foundation is a non-profit public/private partnership whose mission is to increase access to primary health care for uninsured and medically underserved Virginians. The Foundation was initiated by the General Assembly and its Joint Commission on Health Care in 1992. Since its inception, it has funded 415 community-based projects across the Commonwealth, and its programs For more information about VHCF and its programs, visit www.vhcf.org or call (804) 828-5804.