Friday, June 10, 2011
A new Dental Clinic for Low-Income Families opens at HGH
Hawkesbury, June 10, 2011 - _e Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU), in partnership with the Hawkesbury & District General Hospital (HGH), o_cially opened a new dental care clinic in the hospital for children from low-income families.
Through the Healthy Smiles Ontario (HSO) dental care program, the EOHU provides regular dental care free-of-charge for children 17 and under who don’t have access to any form of dental coverage. Children who meet the eligibility criteria will be able to receive treatment at the Hawkesbury clinic, located on the 2nd _oor of the HGH.
Present at the launch, Mr. Jean-Marc Lalonde, MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, mentioned “this partnership between the EOHU and the HGH is an important part in providing the most complete and best healthcare coverage to the local community.”
According to Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Medical O_cer of Health: “Dental health is an important factor in overall health. I am delighted that we can o_er this service to area children, who otherwise would have no access to such care. I am grateful for the excellent collaboration we have revived from the HGH.”
The new Healthy Smiles Ontario program covers a full range of preventive and early treatment dental services including check-ups, cleaning, _llings, x-rays and more. _e program will complement existing dental care programs already o_ered by the EOHU for children aged 17 and under. _ese include the Children in Need of Treatment (CINOT) program which provides free urgent dental services to eligible children whose parents have no dental insurance and can’t a_ord the cost of urgent dental care, and the Ontario Works (OW) Child program which provides basic dental care for eligible children whose parents are recipients of OW.
“Recognizing the importance of this program for our region’s youth, the Hawkesbury & District General Hospital is proud to be able to partner with the EOHU by providing the space & tools for the clinic,” mentioned Marc LeBoutillier, CEO of the HGH.
For more information, call the Eastern Ontario Health Unit at 613-933-1375 or at 1 800 267-7120, and ask for Health Line.
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