Published: Friday, December 26, 2014 at 12:56 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, December 26, 2014 at 12:56 a.m. <\/p>\n
WINTER HAVEN | Central Florida Health Care opened its Winter Haven dental clinic as scheduled this month, another step in Polk County's ongoing effort in 2014 to boost access to dental care. <\/p>\n
The clinic isn't limited to the uninsured. <\/p>\n
Like Central Florida's Lake Wales and Frostproof dental clinics, people with insurance can be patients there, too. <\/p>\n
But reaching people whose income and lack of insurance keep them from routine dental care is why Polk County approved spending $500,000 from the sales-tax-funded indigent care program to let CFHC start a dental program in Winter Haven. <\/p>\n
Lance Anastasio, a member of the volunteer Citizens HealthCare Oversight Committee, saw one of those families Dec. 19 when committee members toured the facility. <\/p>\n
\"There was a mother there with two boys, 12 or 13,\" he said. \"They wanted her to go into the (exam room) with them. They had not seen a dentist before.\" <\/p>\n
The dental clinic is on the same site as the community health center's medical clinic, 1514 First St. N. It has a separate entrance and waiting area, Anastasio said. <\/p>\n
\"I'm very impressed with what's been accomplished with the funding allocated,\" he said, praising the modern X-ray equipment and the clinic's electronic-medical record link to other CFHC clinics. <\/p>\n
Reaching people whose only recent encounters with dentists were for extractions is vital to their health, Central Florida officials said. <\/p>\n
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Central Florida Health Care: Dental Clinic Offers Care to Low-Income, Uninsured<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Published: Friday, December 26, 2014 at 12:56 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, December 26, 2014 at 12:56 a.m Continue reading