For residents who have had to forego dental health due to lack of insurance, there is another option for care.
The Niles Community Health Center Dental opened its doors for business on Oct. 6 at 122 Grant St. If residents think that the business name sounds familiar, that’s because it is.
The dental office operates under the same network as the Niles Community Health Center and the Cassopolis Family Clinic. The Cassopolis facility was established in 1964 and owners have been considering opening a dental branch in Niles for the past two years.
Marketing coordinator Rose Middleton said that based on a needs study conducted in February 2015, the network found a number of Niles residents with the inability to get dental care.
“There was such a need for affordable dentistry,” Middleton said. “Especially to those covered by Michigan Medicaid or who have no dental insurance.”
As a federally qualified health center, the network can provide the care for those without insurance or on Medicaid through the sliding fee discount program, which will project a service cost based on the number of people in the household and the income of the individual. This allows a discount on the cost of the service, where other facilities might have to charge full price.
Those without dental care who need immediate care due to a problem might end up in the emergency room, costing them hundreds of dollars, Middleton said. Now with opening of the Niles Community Health Center, patients have at least one other option.
The business has seven operatories and two dentists. Dentist Maritzo Salvo Ale is originally from Chile and earned her doctorate of dental surgery at the University of Colorado. She now resides with her family in Berrien Springs.
Niles Community Health Center dentist Mike Hewlett grew up in Utah. He received his doctorate of dental medicine from Roseman University of Health Sciences in South Jordan, Utah. He resides in Granger.
The facility also employs four dental assistants and two hygienists. They anticipate serving 3,000 patients in a year. Since their opening day, the clinic has had a nearly full schedule.
“We have people stopping by because they are so excited, it is insane the amount of outpouring of support,” Middleton said.
Despite being open for less than a month, that busy schedule has a lot to do with the customer basis established at the Niles Community Health Center, where patients were then sometimes referred to the Cassopolis Family Clinic, now patients with dental needs have just a short trip down the road rather than a trip to Cassopolis.
Mayor Mike McCauslin, a member of the network board endorsed the arrival of the dental office in Niles in a press release.
“(It has been) long recognized as a significant need in our community,” he said. “We acknowledge the investment and vision of the Cassopolis Family Clinic Network in the City and look forward to their continued growth and positive impact on the health of our residents.”
NCHC Dental is open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To contact the clinic for more information or for an appointment call (269) 262-4364. There are also specialists available to assist patients in signing up for Michigan Medicaid or the sliding fee discount.