Macomb, IL – A new dental center is being built in Macomb to serve McDonough County's low income residents.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday morning for the McDonough County Community Dental Center. It's being built near the intersection of North Prairie Avenue and East Carroll Street.
Macomb School Superintendent Fran Karanovich helped spearhead the project. She says there are children in the district who clearly have a need for dental care but whose families cannot afford it.
Henderson County Rural Health Center Executive Director Melinda Whiteman also helped make the center a reality. She says the facility will employ one full-time dentist, one full-time hygienest, three dental assistants, and two receptionists. It will open this fall.
The state is providing some funding assistance and money was also raised through local donations. Patients will be charged on a sliding scale based on income.
You can listen to interviews with Karanovich and Whiteman by clicking on the audio button above.
Additional information:
*Research by the McDonough County Public Health Department and the Illinois Department of Public Health found there are 4,150 people in the county who have not been able to afford oral health care. The county's total population is around 32,000.
*Whiteman says there is a shortage of dentists nationwide. She says every year, 4,000 more dentists retire than graduate from dental programs. Whiteman also points out there are just two dental schools in Illinois.
*The building will be leased from Hillyer's Inc. The center's annual operating cost is an estimated $450,000.
*A dentist has not been hired for the new center. Someone had been chosen but she recently had to back out.