Establishing a dental practice in a rural, low-income county health department.
Historically, county health departments have not been responsible for providing dental care to needy citizens. However, as the need for dental care among indigent and low-income citizens has grown health departments are being called on to provide these necessary services. This article describes one local board of health's effort to establish a dental program within a large rural county. The board of health directed the local county health department to purchase and operate a mobile dental clinic, build a permanent dental facility, recruit a dental staff, and most important, provide the financial resources to pay for the program.
Griffith
Jack
J
Pender County Health Department, 803 S. Walker Street, Burgaw, NC 28425, USA.
D003740:Dental Clinics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008489:Medical Indigency; D008952:Mobile Health Units / Q000458:organization & administration; D009657:North Carolina; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011203:Poverty; D016730:Program Development; D011635:Public Health Administration; D011636:Public Health Dentistry / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012423:Rural Health