COCHISE COUNTY – Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona (RMHC®) and Chiricahua Community Health Centers, Inc. (CCHCI) have partnered to help children have better dental care in Cochise County.
Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, a specially designed van, was launched in April to aid children who have limited or no access to a dentist. This is the first van in Arizona.
According to a news release, recent studies showed that “up to 30 percent of kindergartens in Cochise County are not receiving dental care.”
The county is also considered a “Dental Health Professional Shortage Area” – with the number of dentists 32 percent below the national average.
“We know that dental health problems are one of the primary reasons children miss school, in part due to the lack of access to dental care,” said Dr. Brianna Hillier, CCHCI’s Director of Dental Services “When young children don’t receive proper dental care, it can cascade into a lifetime of dental and medical problems.”
Ronald McDonald Care Mobile / Courtesy: Ronald McDonald House of Southern Arizona
The 45-foot van is set to travel throughout the Sulfur Springs Valley, dental care will be offered to children and teenagers at schools in Elfrida, McNeal, Pearce, and Bowie.
Pediatric dental services will also be offered at CCHCI’s centers that currently do not have on-site dental facilities in Douglas, Bisbee, Benson and Willcox.
CCHCI dentists and hygienists will provide dental check-up exams, x-rays, fluoride treatments, sealants, fillings, extractions and crowns.
CCHCI accepts all AHCCCS plans, some commercial health insurance plans, and also offers a sliding fee schedule. No patient will be turned away for lack of ability to pay.
