6/19/2009

Neosho, MO June 19, 2009—ACCESS Family Care’s (ACCESS) has completed a full school year of providing full service in-school dental services in the Cassville School District. 103 total students received services ranging from cleaning and education to root canals. “Having the mobile dental unit in the schools has been a great blessing for all who were involved, by either providing care or witnessing the changes that were performed in these children’s lives,” states program coordinator and Dental Hygienist Kristi Dobbs.
“The care the children received was the same we perform in our dental clinics,” added Dobbs. “They received thorough hygiene screenings, radiographs, cleanings, oral hygiene education, nutritional counseling, and fluoride treatments. Then the dentists came in and did fillings, crowns, extractions, and space maintainers.” Dr. McCall, Dental Director, also did some root canals.
“Parents and school staff were very appreciative. Staff would come by daily to tell us how wonderful they thought this project was. The students were amazed at our equipment and thought it was the coolest thing ever,” commented Dobbs.
“Whether we created a whole new smile due to fixing broken teeth, getting rid of rampant decay, or just a good cleaning, we provided a service that will stick with these children for a lifetime, added Dr. McCall.
The school-based dental services reduced barriers to good dental health by minimizing transportation and affordability issues. “We committed to seeing all students including Medicaid and self-pay. If a student already had a family dentist, we gave them the option and encouraged them to take our assessments to their family dentist.”
“This was our first time to do a school-based program. We learned where to improve as we continue the program. This type of service is gaining momentum throughout the United States,” Adds McCall.
ACCESS Family Care (ACCESS), formerly Ozark Tri-County Health Care Consortium, was founded in 1996 as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) for the purpose of increasing access to primary health care for those who lack medical insurance coverage. As an FQHC, ACCESS receives a 330 Federal grant from the Bureau of Primary Health Care designed to offset the expenses associated with providing sliding fee discounts to patients who demonstrate economic need.
ACCESS Family Care—Anderson, formerly the Mary Ann Bradley Medical Clinic, with both medical and dental services is located at 927 N. Business 71 Anderson. It’s open Monday through Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM with late hours until 7:00 PM on Tuesdays and can be reached at 417-845-8300. The dental clinic is located in the same building with the same hours, except they close at 2:00 on Fridays, and can be reached at 417-845-2273.
ACCESS Family Care—Cassville, formerly the James D. Warn Community Clinic, is located at 1101 Main Street Cassville, and can be reached at 417-847-0057. The clinic is open Monday through Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM with late hours until 7:00 PM on Tuesdays.
ACCESS Family Care—Joplin with medical, pediatrics, and dental combined in one location is located at 530 S. Maiden Lane. The hours there are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM and late hours until 7:00 PM on Tuesdays. For medical appointments call 417-782-6200 and for dental appointments call 417-782-0080.
ACCESS Family Care’s administrative offices are located at 4301 Doniphan Drive in Neosho, Missouri, and the phone number is 417-451-9450.
“One of the special characteristics of community health centers is that they create access to healthcare for the poor and language minority. We are doing a good job with that at ACCESS,” comments Chief Executive Officer Don McBride.
Last year, ACCESS served a total of 11,004 patients which is an increase of 0ver 250% since 2001. 44% were uninsured, 43% were Medicaid recipients, and less than 4% were Medicare patients. “We’ve seen phenomenal growth as we have responded to the immense primary care needs in southwest Missouri. We have a vision to continue to expand and work with area hospitals and dentists to continue to provide these much-needed services to the uninsured and underinsured,” adds McBride.



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