By Naomi Yaeger-Bischoff
hillsider@sundogpress.com
Gaining a dental hygienist was an immediate payoff from the Health Equity Project survey done in the East Hillside neighborhood this spring.
While conducting neighborhood surveys East Hillside Patch learned about Stacy Anderson, a registered Dental Hygienist who was looking for a space to offer free dental health services to children.
Anderson provides mobile services which are free to children on Medica, U-Care, First Plan Blue, and MN Health Care Program (MA). She works under the Minnesota Dental Hygienist Collaborative Practice Agreement under the supervision of a licensed dentist.
Few dental clinics accept patients on public health insurance programs. Anderson helps families who typically get turned away or have to endure lengthy waiting periods to access basic dental care for their children. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church provides the space at Carriage House located at 1710 E. Superior St.
Anderson’s services are for children ages 1 through 14 and include: gentle cleanings, fluoride applications, oral hygiene education, tooth sealants, and supplies to maintain oral health. Contact Patch at 728-4287 for more information.
If a family has no insurance, or needs help completing application forms or appeals, Patch staff connects them with appropriate resources in the community to help.
If a family is not eligible for assistance, Lake Superior Health Care Center may be able to help. The family must be willing to document their story/situation (anonymously) to add to Patch’s examples of why the state health care system needs to be transformed, which is the purpose of the Health Equity Project.
