I wrote a really long blog entry about indigent dental care in Virginia back in August after many hours of research into the topic, and came away convinced that we have a terrible, terrible system for dealing with what is a far bigger problem than I ever would have guessed. (For example, one in five Virginians don’t have a single tooth in their head. Wow.) For most low-income Virginians there is no relief for dental problems, and resulting health problems can easily leave them crippled or even dead.
Now comes news that the Monticello Area Community Action Agency is coordinating a dental program to serve these individuals, Brian McNeill reports in today’s Daily Progress. Private dentists and the Charlottesville Free Clinic will provide the actual care. It seems unlikely that they’ll be able to meet the significant demand (especially demand for adult dental care), but this is an enormous step forward for a very big problem.
First off, its a huge problem. Poor people end up going to the ER for dental problems all the time. They get vicodin and sometimes antibiotics, and get booted out the door without so much as a toothbrush.
Second, the free clinic is not for indigent medical care. You must have a job, and you must make more than a certain (surprisingly large) amount of money before they’ll even talk to you. They need to take that sign down and replace it with “Free but only if you make enough money clinic”.
I wish I volunteered for MACAA. I would make an awesome PR man. I even thought of a new slogan:
“MACAA: One letter away from losing George Allen an election.”