Dentist Jon Salinas didn’t learn Hamilton County would refer displaced patients to his practice until weeks after officials had already announced plans to close the county’s dental clinic but said he welcomes the opportunity to treat them.
After more than 40 years of service, the Health Department dental clinic saw its last patient on June 30, with colorful murals still on the walls and a bilingual notice announcing the clinic’s permanent closure taped to the reception window.
During its final fiscal year, which ended that day, the clinic served nearly 2,000 unique patients, many of them low-income children from Chattanooga’s most underserved neighborhoods.
Hamilton County officials said the Health Department dental clinic became too costly to justify and that community dental providers, such as Salinas, could absorb former patients.
“We evaluated all aspects, which is why we engaged in conversations with partners who can effectively meet the needs of our clients,” Joeli Pifer, communications manager of Hamilton County Health and Social Services, said in a phone interview.