The Middlesex London Health Unit (MLHU) opened its new dental services office in Strathroy, Ont., on Monday, with a focus on providing services to low-income patients.
Located in The Shops of Sydenham, the new clinic will provide services for free to qualifying low-income seniors over the age of 65 and to children under the age of 17 who come from qualifying low-income families.
Services will be provided to patients who qualify through the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program (OSDCP) and the Healthy Smiles Ontario Program.
“Our waitlist is now pushing 700 for the OSDCP,” said Dr. Alex Summers, MLHU medical officer of health. “Having this facility up and running now will help us work our way through that waitlist and hopefully get to people who don’t even know that they need these services yet.
“Today (Monday) is a good day because we get to celebrate that people are going to start to be pain free. People are going to start to own their smiles, and people’s health is going to improve each and every single day because of the work that will happen here,” he added.
According to the health unit, the new dental services office was constructed by CCS Contractors and established through a $1.05 million capital-funding grant from the Ontario Ministry of Health.
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Complete with four operatories, the clinic will be able to welcome up to 20 patients per day once fully staffed.
Mayor of Strathroy-Caradoc, Colin Grantham, told Global News that the dental office is “exactly what the community needs.”
“We need support, whether it’s for those low income or not, this is needed in this community,” he said.
He added that Monday’s announcement also “shows that the county and the province recognize Strathroy as an urban area.”
“Having the office here in Strathroy, essentially in the middle of Middlesex County, does allow for our residents to come across the county to the office and have accessible health care,” said Cathy Burghardt-Jesson, Warden of Middlesex County.
“It also opens the door to conversations to have with the health unit to think about how programs can be delivered to our residents in municipalities across the county so that they too may not necessarily have to leave their home community,” she added.
Free services provided through OSDCP include both check-ups and cleaning, as well as x-rays, fixing cavities, oral surgery, endodontic services and treating gum conditions and diseases.
Seniors who would like to learn more about OSDCP, including how to apply, can visit the program’s website.
Additionally, more information about the Health Smiles Ontario Program can be found here.
The Middlesex London Health Unit can also be reached for further inquiries at 519-663-5317.
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