3 offices will serve patients with lower incomes and those with HIV
DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writertaffet@dallasvoice.com
Officials with Prism Health North Texas announced this week that the agency is acquiring Community Dental Care of Texas to provide dental services to both people living with HIV and others. The practice will become known as Prism Health North Texas Dental Care.
The practice has been a recipient of Ryan White funding, and Prism CEO John Carlo said the practice already serviced many of his existing patients.
Community Dental has been providing low-cost dental care in Dallas since 1968 and today has three offices — in Farmers Branch, on Park Lane near Greenville Avenue and on Gaston Avenue near Baylor Hospital.
Dr. John Carlo
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more people are unable to afford dental care than any other type of healthcare. That’s one of the reasons, Carlo said, that his agency wanted to add a dental practice to its community health operations. He called the partnership with Community dental a great opportunity.
Among people living with HIV, the number of people receiving regular dental care is even lower than the population in general. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, about 64 percent of people living with HIV don’t receive regular dental care.
But Prism Health’s findings among its own patients are even worse: Only 16 percent of those using Ryan White funds for medical care had evidence of an annual dental visit.
So increasing the availability of dental care has been on Carlo’s radar for some time, he said, but the pandemic was a factor in the acquisition.
“COVID was horrendous for dental care,” Carlo said, adding that not only
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