Two philanthropists, Gary and Mary West, recently opened a nonprofit community dental center for low-income seniors in San Diego.
Here's what you need to know:
1. The dental center is part of the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center, which includes nutrition, case management and wellness services.
2. Patients at the dental center receive a comprehensive geriatric assessment, which helps providers coordinate health, dental and social support needs.
3. An initial assessment of 300 seniors at the wellness center found that half of the participants were having difficulty eating and more than a third were experiencing dental pain; a quarter had not seen a dentist in more than five years.
4. Access to affordable dentistry is a key issue for low-income seniors, since Medicare does not cover routine dental care and Medicaid coverage varies by state.
5. Mr. and Mrs. West expect 1,000 patients to receive care at the dental center in the coming year.