Woodland— August 10, 2020 — On Tuesday, August 11, 2020, CommuniCare Health Centers (CommuniCare) will add dental services to the Family Wellness Center campus. The new dental office will begin seeing children and adults requiring specialty dental services at 619 Lincoln Avenue, in downtown Woodland. As an integral part of the safety net for Yolo County, CommuniCare is the main provider of oral health services for low-income, uninsured and Medi-Cal populations in the area. CommuniCare is the primary dental home to over 4,900 children where one in ten children in Yolo County are seen for dental care. “Having been with CommuniCare for more than 10 years, I’ve long dreamt of opening a pediatric and specialty dental center. I’m looking forward to providing these expanded services,” shared Dr. Barry Chang, Dental Director at CommuniCare Health Centers.
The Family Wellness Center campus is comprised of three small buildings on the corner of Lincoln and 1st Ave. In 2018, Yolo Family Service Agency, a non-profit agency providing counseling and mental health services for low-income children and families in Yolo County for nearly 60 years, closed its doors and discontinued services due to struggling finances and mounting debt. CommuniCare was asked to step up and create continuity of care for the vulnerable children served by Yolo Family Services Agency after they became insolvent. Since that time, vital youth and family behavioral healthcare services have been provided in two of the three small buildings. Children and families are provided much-needed evidenced-based behavioral health services through a menu of options, which include: Mental Health Counseling, Family Therapy, Child Psychiatry, Parenting, Substance Use services, Wraparound services, Group Therapy and an LGBTQ+ support group.
With the addition of a new playground in late 2019, and on Tuesday the new dental clinic, the Family Wellness Center campus will be complete. Patients seen at the Family Wellness Center can also be seen throughout the broader CommuniCare system. Patients, as needed, are referred to other services including primary care, substance use treatment, adult dental care, and more, which are accessible at locations throughout the County.
While there are limited Denti-Cal providers within CommuniCare’s service area, there are even fewer pediatric and specialty care providers. Data shows that Yolo County residents are utilizing the hospital emergency rooms at higher rates for dental problems and only 17 percent of dentists in Yolo County accept children with Denti-Cal. “The demand for preventive dental services continues to be high, particularly for children. We are opening this new dental clinic to expand our existing capacity. CommuniCare exists to meet the healthcare needs of our community. We are grateful to have this opportunity” highlighted Dr. Melissa Marshall, Chief Executive Officer of CommuniCare Health Centers.
Renovations for the dental clinic began in late 2019 and utilized an existing unoccupied building. The 955 sq. foot space has been optimized to utilize all of the available space. The dental clinic has three open-bay, child-friendly dental chairs and a private operatory for specialty care. Additionally, the new site will have a pediatric dentist providing a majority of the services to children. “After months of planning, the day is finally here. I am excited to welcome patients into our new clinic,” shared Sandra Hermosillo, Dental Program Administrator.
This renovation was partially supported by grant funding obtained from the Federal Bureau of Primary Health Care, Health Resources & Services Administration. Planned pediatric and specialty dental services include expanded pediatric access as well as oral surgery, endodontic and orthodontic specialty care. Embedded with the dental team will be a Behavioral Health Clinician, who will be on-site to provide trauma-informed Integrated Behavioral Health Services to patients with behavioral health conditions impacting their ability to receive dental care. Initially this location will be open three-days a week, Tuesday-Thursday and plans to expand hours as need demonstrates.
If the community wishes to learn more about accessing services on the Family Wellness Center campus they are encouraged to call CommuniCare directly. For youth and family behavioral health services please call: (530) 662-2211 and for the dental clinic please call: (530) 297-8614.[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjc4NTMlMjclMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjc0ODAlMjclMjBzcmMlM0QlMjdodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRm15Lm1hdHRlcnBvcnQuY29tJTJGc2hvdyUyRiUzRm0lM0Roc0FwMTNhcnJQTCUyNyUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTI3MCUyNyUyMGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTI3eHItc3BhdGlhbC10cmFja2luZyUyNyUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRQ==[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”4632″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”4631″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]About CommuniCare Health Centers
CommuniCare Health Centers is a Federally Qualified Health Center providing care to one in nine Yolo County residents. CommuniCare offers comprehensive primary medical and dental services, perinatal services, behavioral health services, substance use treatment, health education and outreach services to the low-income, diverse, uninsured and Medi-Cal populations of Yolo County and eastern Solano County, including migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families. CommuniCare has three primary health centers and additional satellite sites, with locations in Davis, West Sacramento, Woodland, Esparto, Winters, and Dixon.
Patients are not required to have health insurance to receive services at CommuniCare. Sliding Fee Discounts are available to all patients who meet family size and income requirements. CommuniCare accepts some health insurance plans and coverage including (but not limited to) Medi-Cal, Partnership Health Plan, Medicare, County Medical Services Program (CMSP), Blue Shield, and Anthem Blue Cross and provides assistance to help patients enroll in health coverage programs.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
