Dental grant targets homeless, poor

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - More than 15,000 individuals, primarily homeless or lower income, in Kent County will be provided with dental care through a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

The $200,000 grant came from a partnership between Blue Cross and People's Health Centers of Michigan, a non-profit collaboration of Saint Mary's Health Care, Hope Network and Metro Health.  

The grant will be used to create a new dental program operated by Saint Mary's Health Care.  People's Health Centers will run the program, located at Hope Newtwork's 36th Street campus in Grand Rapids.

"Dental neglect is a serious problem in Kent County, with more than 10,000 emergency room visits attributed to dental neglect every year," said Michigan Department of Community Health Director Jim Haveman in a press release.

Haveman also said dental neglect costs about $1.2 million in in-patient treatment.

The goal of the People's Health Center is to provide dental care to as many as 20,000 patients each year.