Secretary Attends Chippewa Falls Dental Clinic Grand Opening

Department of Health and Family Services Secretary Kevin R. Hayden today attended the grand opening of the Marshfield Clinic Chippewa Dental Center.

"This clinic will help more than 10,000 uninsured and underinsured people in northwestern Wisconsin get the dental care they need in its first year of operation," said Secretary Hayden. "I applaud Marshfield Clinic and Family Health Centers of Marshfield, Inc. for collaborating with the community of Chippewa to build this clinic. We're working with local communities to open dental clinics or partner with existing clinics to help serve children and families who otherwise don't have access to dental care."

The 29 chair facility has six general dentists, six hygienists, two oral surgeons and two pediatric dentists. It will serve Medicaid recipients, low-income uninsured and underinsured people, Medicare recipients, and people with developmental disabilities. This is one of three Marshfield Clinic Dental Centers in Northwestern Wisconsin. A fourth dental center is currently being built in Park Falls. In 2006, the Marshfield Clinic Dental Centers treated nearly 10,000 patients.

Dental decay is the number one chronic disease of childhood, particularly among low-income children who often do not have access to a dentist. In fact, 70 percent of children who are eligible for dental care are not getting the services they are eligible for because they can not find dentists who are willing to see them.

Many low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities struggle to find oral health care services, even if they are on Medicaid, BadgerCare, or Healthy Start because there is not a dentist in their area who will accept them. Wisconsin currently provides comprehensive dental coverage for approximately 500,000 children and adults enrolled in Medicaid, BadgerCare, and Healthy Start, but 75 percent of these individuals do not have access to a dental care provider.

Contact a local dentist to learn more about how to maintain your oral heath!