Saving the Clinic that Saves the Teeth

In a book called Uninsured in America: Life and Death in the Land of Opportunity, two Harvard researchers named the top concern of people with no health insurance, and guess what it was? Dental care.

Why? Because bad teeth can affect your whole life. Talking, eating, working, studying, smiling--just about everything is a chore when your teeth are hurting or embarrassing you. General health can suffer, as well, say the researchers, not least because many people use alcohol to blunt the pain of tooth decay.

This is why places like the Dental Center at St. Joseph's Family Life Center in Stamford are so important. Since 1999 the facility has served uninsured or underinsured patients--more than 1,000 of them a year, making about 4,000 visits. The Center takes Medicare and Medicaid, charging low or no co-pays.

But--very unwelcome news--the place is in danger of being shut down. St. Joseph's in Stamford is actually owned by St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport. It recently asked the state to approve its plan to close the Stamford clinic, saying it wants to focus on its Bridgeport patients.

It says it's talking with another health care company about stepping in to answer the needs of the Stamford dental patients. Will that happen? It's unclear. Stamford Mayor Malloy expressed the fear many feel when he said, "If this one goes out of business, who is to say we'll ever have another one here?"

State officials expected to take all sides under consideration after a hearing this week in Hartford. We can only presume they already understand how vital--and rare--quality affordable dental care is. Clinics like St. Joseph's must be kept open.