Sanders calls for increased dental care

Sen. Bernie Sanders visited local business people at the soon-to-be-open Springfield Health Care Center in the former Fellows Gear Shaper Co. factory Friday.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20120602/NEWS02/706029901

Christian Avard / Staff photo Sen. Bernie Sanders (center) speaks with Springfield Medical Care Systems Chief Medical Officer Sarah Kemble M.D./M.P.H. (left) and Springfield Medical Care Systems CEO Glenn Cordner about providing affordable dental care to all Vermonters. Published June 2, 2012 in the Rutland Herald Sanders calls for increased dental care By Christian Avard Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — Sen. Bernard Sanders said Vermont is making progress on access to affordable dental care, but more work must be done. Sanders visited local business people at the soon-to-be-open Springfield Health Care Center in the former Fellows Gear Shaper Co. factory Friday. He presented a new report, “Dental Crisis in America: The Need to Expand Access,” which he headed with the assistance of the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging and the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. According to the report, Sanders said more than 130 million Americans do not have dental insurance and one quarter of U.S. adults ages 65 or older “have lost all their teeth.” The report also stated about 17 million low-income children do not see a dentist each year and only 45 percent of Americans ages 2 and older saw a dental provider in the past 12 months. “Tooth decay is five times more common among children today than asthma,” he said. “We have in Vermont and around this country a major crisis in terms of oral health.” According to Sanders, Vermont is making progress in providing affordable dental care by opening Federally Qualified Health Centers. The centers are community-based organizations that provide comprehensive primary and preventive care, according to The Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that promotes health care systems. In six years, Sanders said, Vermont has opened centers in Hardwick, Burlington, Island Pond, Richford, Swanton, Rutland, Plainfield and Ludlow. All of the centers provide dental care and up to 25,000 Vermonters have accessed these centers, he said. Sanders met with Glenn Cordner, Springfield Medical Care Systems CEO, and Dr. Sarah Kemble, Springfield Medical Care Systems chief medical officer, to learn more about the new medical facility. Construction is progressing, according to Cordner. He told Sanders it will also provide dental care. Cordner said there is a huge demand for dental care and the Ludlow facility has already served more than 850 patients since its opening in July. They are booking patients three months in advance and up to 75 percent are uninsured. “We have identified there’s a dental shortage in this area and a very high demand,” Cordner said. Sanders asked when the medical facility will open. Cordner guessed sometime mid-summer. “If you walk through the building, 33,000 square feet upstairs and downstairs have been completed. There are other areas that still need work,” Cordner said. Sanders said he is drafting legislation in the Senate to address affordable dental care. His bill would expand comprehensive dental coverage to millions of Americans through Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration