New York faces growing dental care crisis: 7 notes

New York is facing a growing dental care crisis resulting from several accessibility barriers and a lack of support from state legislators, the Democrat & Chronicle reported Feb. 7.  

Seven notes: 

1. The Eastman Institute for Oral Health in Rochester, N.Y., has a months-long waitlist that is currently sitting at more than 32,000 patients.

2. The center's waitlist continues to grow as patients face dental care deserts and gaps in insurance coverage.

3. Nearly half of the state's 62 counties have full or partial dental care shortages, and only one-third of dentists in the state accept Medicaid.

4. The Eastman Institute is waiting to get approval from the state to use a $20 million grant to expand its services. 

5. The expansion would include adding 30 chairs, allowing the center to treat an additional 22,000 patients each year.

5. The Touro College of Dental Medicine in Hawthorne, N.Y., plans to open a $5 million facility to treat patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

6. Touro has begun fundraising for the center, which it plans to open within the next 18 months.

7. State lawmakers have failed to pass legislation that would work to improve dental care by providing student loan forgiveness, increasing Medicaid reimbursements, enhancing insurance transparency and expanding the list of services that can be performed by hygienists.

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