North County dental services supported by $530,000 grant from El Camino
SAN JOSE – Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Hospitals and Clinics (SCVMC) was awarded a $530,000 grant from the El Camino Healthcare District, which was accepted and acknowledged earlier this week by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. The grant will help improve access to dental services for vulnerable North County residents who may otherwise go without.
“This year’s grant builds upon years of collaboration between the County and El Camino to provide much needed health care in the North County,” said County Supervisor Joe Simitian, who Chairs the County’s Health and Hospital Committee.
“At a time when health and wellness is top-of-mind for all of us, the forefront, it’s important to remember the role dental health plays in overall health. With these dental appointments now available every day in North County, people have more access to preventative care, and they can count on emergency dental care near their home,” Simitian continued.
For 12 consecutive years, the El Camino Healthcare District Community Benefit Program has provided annual grants to SCVMC for medical and dental services in North County. This year’s grant will support Valley Health Center Sunnyvale and Santa Clara Valley Dentalcare – El Camino in promoting routine dental visits to decrease the number of emergency dental visits. “If folks have to wait, it’s too late,” said Simitian. “This is the kind of routine and preventative care that most of us take for granted. But for people of modest means, this will be a real godsend.”
“When underserved individuals don’t have access to preventive dental services or referral coordination between dental and medical teams, they often experience worse health outcomes and more frequently seek out emergency room care when there are better options available,” said Dan Woods, chief executive officer of El Camino Health. “This funding represents the second largest grant awarded by the El Camino Healthcare District, which will sustain critically needed dental care services for the medically underserved in Sunnyvale and Mountain View.”
In the fall of 2020, the County opened a dental clinic at 2486 W. El Camino Real in Mountain View to serve lower income North County residents. The Santa Clara Valley Dentalcare – El Camino is open Monday thru Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The clinic is equipped with nine dental suites, is completely furnished with new equipment, including an x-ray unit, and is ADA compliant.
The facility is easily accessible by transit as it sits on a major thoroughfare. The grant funding authorized by the El Camino Healthcare District will allow more children, adults, and seniors to receive preventative oral health care and treatment for more serious dental conditions.