Clinic Gets Grant to Improve Dental Care

The Northeast Valley Health Corp. has won a $380,000 grant to expand its dental clinic, which serves needy families in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.

The award from the California Endowment will be paid in three annual installments beginning this year, officials said. The funds will be used to hire additional dental staff to help the clinic double its patient visits to 10,000.

“We are delighted to receive this grant from the California Endowment, which will allow us to help Valley residents in most need of dental care services,” said Kimberly Wyard, executive director of Northeast Valley Health Corp.

The health care facility sought the grant after a 1998 patients’ survey revealed a strong desire for improved dental care, particularly among children, Wyard said.

In addition to doubling the number of patients served at the clinic, officials said they anticipate the grant will enable the facility to extend its hours to include evenings and create a Saturday pediatric dental clinic.

Officials said they hope the improved dental care services will serve as an “initial point of entry” to additional health-related services offered at Northeast Valley Health Corp. clinics in Pacoima, Valencia, Van Nuys and Canoga Park.

The clinics are part of a national network of 981 community health centers and rural clinics that provide preventive and primary care services to 11 million low-income and uninsured individuals and families nationwide, officials said.

The California Endowment is a private, nonprofit foundation that makes grants to organizations seeking to improve patient access to health care statewide, officials said.