The Dental Van Project - Benchmark # 7


The need for more dental services in Tioga County was identified early on in the REAP Strategic Planning process. This was due to the limited access to dental care in the more rural areas of the county, the lack of adequate transportation to providers in nearby areas, and many lower income residents were not receiving dental care because providers were not accepting Medicaid. A mobile dental van was the creative answer to the problem.

Funding in the amount of $605,000 was obtained from the Governor's Office of Small Cities/CDGB grant. Community partners in the effort included:
Tioga County Health Department Robert Packer Hospital
Tioga County REAP, LDC. Guthrie Medical Center
Rural Health Network of South Central NY Cortland Memorial Hospital
Tioga County Economic Development and Planning Cayuga Medical Center
Lourdes Hospital Wilson Memorial Hospital
Tioga Opportunities Inc./Department of Aging

The result is a mobile dental office configured in a 53 foot long tractor-trailer which is outfitted with two fully equipped dental chairs and space for dental hygiene education activities. During the school year the dental van travels to Tioga County's Elementary schools-serving students during school hours. The School-Based Dental Clinic is available for students without a dental provider regardless of insurance status. For the summer months, the dental van is centrally located at Tioga Opportunities, Inc. in Owego, where dental services can be provided to all Tioga County residents without a dental provider. The dental clinic accepts all insurances, and utilizes a sliding fee scale. The electrical, water, and sewer hook-ups are provided in-kind by the host school or Tioga Opportunities, Inc.

The impact for the community has meant that the dental needs of county residents, and some transportation issues around this need, are being addressed. The first patients were seen in December of 2003, and by 2007 the dental van was serving 18 sites and had seen over 2,000 patients. The program supervisor found the need much greater than anticipated in the school population, and noted that the school-based program has produced not only good results for the children, but for their parents. The excitement of the children in bringing home their new dental hygiene practices, products, and education resulted in dental services to parents who had before gone without this important health care.