Clinic offering dental services to veterans

PERKINS TWP. — The Erie County Community Health Center now has a fifth location for its dental health clinics. A new one-chair clinic is located at the Sandusky-area Ohio Veterans Home. The clinic means that veterans don't have to leave the veterans' home to see a dentist. For now, the clinic is open every Thursday and open to patients and residents only of the Ohio Veterans Home. Troy Chaffin, CEO of the community health center, said that in an emergency, such as tooth pain, a veteran can still be taken the health department's main campus for treatment. The community clinic — which provides primary health care, dental care and mental health care — is one of the services offered by the health department. The Ohio Veterans Home used to have a dentist who provided services there. When the dentist left, the home needed a way to obtain service, said Joe Palmucci, senior chief financial officer at the health department. The health department provides dental services to everyone, regardless of ability to pay, at five locations: • At the health department's main campus in Sandusky • At EHOVE Career Center in Milan Township • On Kelleys Island • At the Castalia-Margaretta Schools' new health center • At the Ohio Veterans Home Chaffin said that as services have expanded at the various locations, the dental staff has grown. The community health clinic has three full-time dentists and two more are coming on board this summer, he said. "Oral health is a vital, yet frequently overlooked, pillar of a person's overall physical well-being," said Nicole Ziegler, a registered nurse and the center's chief health services officer. "Routine dental care prevents systemic infections, supports proper nutrition and directly impacts chronic disease management," Ziegler said. "Bringing these safety net services to the Ohio Veterans Home allows us to deliver essential health interventions right to the doorstep of a population that truly deserves our highest level of care and clinical support." Added health commissioner Pete Schade: "This fifth location strengthens our regional safety net infrastructure, ensuring that high-quality, dignified dental services remain accessible to those who served our nation."