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| Wilson Announces Progress for Community Dental Funding |
July 06, 2006 |
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| Community Clinic ‘Fills the Gap’ for People without Other Access to Dental Care
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson today visited South Valley Community Dental and announced that $1.1 million in funding she has sought to build new facilities is progressing through Congress.
“Community Dental does more than just fill teeth, they fill an important need every day for people who would otherwise not have access to dental care,” Wilson said. “Passage of this important funding in the House means a lot. This new facility will directly serve thousands of Albuquerque area residents who need Community Dental to be here and able to serve at full capacity.”
The federal funding, directly at Wilson’s request, is split into two separate funding channels through two major appropriations bill, one of which containing $400,000 was already passed in June by the U.S. House of Representatives.
The money is needed so that Community Dental can continue to serve 10,000 people (30,000 patient visits) each year. The new facilities will be in the same neighborhood next to the outdated care center.
The aging facilities are inadequate and in disrepair. This dental clinic provides much-needed services to Medicaid recipients and others who may have nowhere else to go. Low-income Americans are unlikely to have sufficient dental care, according to studies.
The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2007 is slated for consideration soon in the House. It contains $700,000 in funding for Community Dental. The other $400,000 was already passed in June as part of the Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2007.
“We’ll continue to work to push this important funding through Congress, because this clinic is an important part of our community,” Wilson said.
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