$81,000 grant will expand access to low-cost dental services for North Hawaiʻi residents
The Hawaiʻi Dental Service Foundation awards more than $2 million a year to nonprofits providing oral health programs.
Hāmākua-Kohala Health’s dental clinic in Waimea will be able to serve another 500 North Hawaiʻi residents with an $81,000 grant from the Hawaiʻi Dental Service Foundation.
The grant will allow the clinic to expand from three to five dental chairs at a new site, providing greater access to low-cost dental services in the coming year, according to a press release from the clinic.
Hāmākua-Kohala Health is currently the only dental service provider in the area accepting patients with Medicaid or those without dental insurance. In addition, it is the area’s only dental provider offering income-based discounts for lower-income and uninsured patients, the press release said.
Convenient access to a dentist on Hawaiʻi Island can be challenging and require residents to travel farther for appointments.
The $81,328 grant, which will also fund additional staff and equipment, will help to cut wait time for appointments and reduce the Waimea clinic waitlist, which currently has more than 1,000 names.
Hāmākua-Kohala Health, a North Hawaiʻi nonprofit community health center, has offered dental services for more than 20 years. It provides general dentistry to nearly 2,000 patients annually through its Kohala and Waimea health centers.
The 40-year-old foundation focuses on educating the public, preventing disease, and increasing access to dental care for underserved populations. It annually awards more than $2 million in grants to local nonprofit organizations for oral health programs and projects. Learn more at www.HDSFoundation.gives.
