CULPEPER — When the Piedmont Regional Dental Clinic opens in July, the Orange County medical facility will need seven new employees.
The job openings are for a dentist, three dental assistants, a dental practice manager, a patient outreach coordinator and a Medicaid billing administrator.
The nonprofit clinic — located at 13296 James Madison Highway in the town of Orange — is designed to treat low-income dental patients who qualify for state-administered dental insurance. Eligible patients — mainly children — must also live in Culpeper, Orange, Madison or Greene counties.
The new clinic will occupy the old physical therapy office in the Colonial Shopping Center on U.S. 15 just south of downtown.
“The town of Orange is excited about the adaptive reuse of the building PRDC will occupy,” said Chuck Mason, mayor of the town of Orange. “The increased activity in the shopping center will also be a positive. These new jobs are just what is needed in this economy. The town feels very fortunate PRDC chose to locate here.”
Some of the services provided will include cleanings, fluoride applications, fillings, limited surgical procedures and root canals for children only.
A Virginia Health Care Foundation grant will provide a three-year compensation package for the clinic’s first dentist, according to Deborah Oswalt, VHCF executive director.
“Access to oral health care is a huge issue in Virginia,” Oswalt said. “There are more low-income children with Medicaid-based insurance in the Piedmont than can be served by area dentists who accept Medicaid insurance. The commonwealth simply needs more oral health care Medicaid providers, so VHCF has made it a priority to establish and expand the statewide dental safety net.”
When fully operational, the clinic will have nine exam rooms and an annual payroll of more than $750,000.
According to the PRDC website, an outreach coordinator is needed to help develop relationships with certain individuals who are able to refer children to the clinic. For example, school nurses, pediatrician offices, Boys and Girls clubs, Head Start and departments of social services and health.
Simmons reports for the Culpeper Star-Exponent.
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