‘Santulli Recommends Dental Clinic Restructuring’

ELMIRA, N.Y., July 30 -- Chemung County issued the following news release:

Chemung County Executive Tom Santulli has recommended to the County Legislature to transfer the operating certificate and ownership of the County Dental Clinic to Regional Primary Care Network, Inc.. The Clinic is housed in the Chemung County Health Center and would continue to be operated at this location.

The Dental Clinic has been operated by the County for the past 30 years and remains one of a handful of county-run clinics still in operation in New York State. The primary mission of the clinic is to provide access to dental services for individuals covered by Medicaid and Family/Child Health Plus. Due to current regulatory and fiscal constraints, the Clinic is not financially viable and is expected to continue to operate at a significant deficit due to insufficient reimbursement for services. In 2013, the dental clinic served nearly 2,500 patients.

The County has been exploring alternatives for reorganization to maintain this much needed service for the Medicaid, uninsured and underinsured population in Chemung County. By transferring the Dental Clinic to Regional Primary Care Network (RPCN), a federally qualified health center, RPCN will receive higher reimbursements which will allow for its continued operation. RPCN will be open to all individuals regardless of county residency or source of payment.

Robert Page, Health Center Director, stated that "Regional Primary Care has a distinguished reputation for providing quality dental care in both rural and urban settings. We look forward to this partnership that will insure access to dental care for all the residents of the Southern Tier."

"This is a 'win-win' for Chemung County", noted County Executive Tom Santulli. "It maintains the County's long-term commitment to accessible, affordable dental care while reducing the tax burden of County residents."

Transfer of the dental clinic's operation must be approved by the State Health Department, and the change in operation is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

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