N. Sonoma County underserved get Alliance Medical Center dental clinic

Uninsured and Denti-Cal patients now have a place to go to receive dental care in the Sonoma County community of Windsor.

Alliance Medical Center has opened a dental office near its medical center in Windsor, in the Windsor Palms Plaza shopping center at 8499 Old Redwood Highway.

The medical office opened six years ago.

The new dental clinic opened Feb. 2, thanks to a health care law-related grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

“Windsor now has safety-net oral health services available to the low-income, uninsured and migrant and seasonal farmworker populations that are least likely to have access oral health care,” said Alex Armstrong, Alliance Medical Center CEO.

Alliance has offered dental services and comprehensive medical services in Healdsburg since 1971.

The new 2,400-square-foot office has five dental chairs, two of which were donated by the Health Care Foundation of Northern Sonoma County.

Windsor Dental Clinic is currently open Tuesday–Thursday and will operate more days after licensing issues are complete.

Since opening, the clinic has served about 1,300 patients and expects that to grow to a maximum of about 4,000. The clinic treats 18–20 patients each day, and appointments are booked two to three weeks out. A wait list of patients is building.

The clinic is currently operating with one dentist, one dental hygienist and two administrators. The plan is to attract another dentist, but “it's hard to find a dentist who is committed to serving the underserved,” Armstrong said.

The new clinic is also partnering with PDI Surgery Center, also in Windsor. Patients who need oral surgery will be referred to PDI, and PDI patients needing regular care will be referred to Alliance.

Based on the most recent California Health Interview Survey, nearly 40 percent (34,839 people) of all uninsured residents in Sonoma County have never been to a dentist in their lifetime.

“That indicates a large target population with severe barriers to oral health care that are likely to be present in the clinic with untreated tooth decay, missing teeth and even oral cancer,” Armstrong said. “Our new site will help address this disparity.”

The clinic will hold a grand opening May 12 from 3 to 5 p.m.

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