Today, Mayor John Tory opened the City of Toronto’s newest Dental and Oral Health Services Clinic (DOHSC). The Mayor was joined by Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa; Councillor Anthony Perruzza (Humber River-Black Creek), and Cheryl Prescod, Executive Director of Black Creek Community Health Centre (BCCHC). The new clinic is a partnership between Toronto Public Health (TPH), the Ontario Ministry of Health and the BCCHC.
The Ontario Government provided funding for the clinic, which will allow TPH to continue to provide necessary services to eligible clients ranging from children to seniors. The more than $400,000 investment helped build a new dental clinic in the BCCHC, and will cover 100 per cent of the operating and related costs for the program. TPH staff provide the services, and the team includes dentists, denturists, dental assistants and clerical staff.
The DOHSC will serve an estimated 1,700 people annually who are low-Income Ontarians enrolled in any one of the following programs: the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program, the Healthy Smiles Ontario Program, Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program.
The location serves area residents in an ethnically diverse community. The dental work performed includes preventive and restorative care, as well as specialized oral surgery and dentures. The services will prevent the need for some patients to attend hospitals for pain management, which often becomes necessary when dental issues are not addressed. As the clinic is co-located with the BCCHC, clients are able to access other health and socio-economic supports including healthcare and housing.
This is the City of Toronto’s 27th DOHSC. The Government of Ontario fully funds the program, contributing $18 million in 2022. TPH will provide dental care for an estimated 45,000 clients this year: 31,000 seniors and 14,000 adults and children. By the end of this year, TPH will have 28 dental clinics, a dental bus and two long-term care vans.
Beyond kids and families, the dental program also provides care to residents of City-owned Long-Term Care homes.
Quotes:
“This is another step we are taking to creating a more liveable and healthier city for our residents. These dental clinics across our city have proven to provide much-needed care and services to those who need access to affordable dental services. Now people from the Sheridan Mall area communities will have better access to dental care. I want to thank the Ontario Government for their continued investment in this program and for helping us fund a new clinic in Toronto.”
– Mayor John Tory
“This is a winning combination for the residents of this community. Toronto Public Health is teaming up with the Black Creek Community Health Centre to add a dental care program to the site, with full funding provided by the Government of Ontario. The new dental clinic will provide much-needed needed services to this community and will integrate with the Health Centre to provide a higher level of health-related care and social services for area residents.”
– Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health
“I am very pleased to participate in this event and to see this investment going towards improving health outcomes for citizens in this proud community. This dental clinic will support citizens with vital oral and dental health work and avoid visits to already overburdened emergency rooms and hospitals to manage pain.”
– Councillor Anthony Perruzza (Humber River-Black Creek)
“This is a great investment by the Government of Ontario in increasing access to dental services and improving the health and wellbeing of the residents of North Etobicoke. The Black Creek Community Health Centre is proud of its ongoing collaboration with Toronto Public Health offering comprehensive health and social support to the community we serve.”
– Cheryl Prescod, Executive Director, Black Creek Community Health Centre
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