Mobile Dental Clinic Coming to Stratford

Release courtesy of the Stratford Health Department

The Stratford Health Department Dental Program has been the recipient of close to $10,000 from the Stratford Rotary Club in their year-long fundraising efforts to match grant money received from Delta Dental of New Jersey.

Earlier this year, Delta Dental awarded the Stratford Health Department a $20,000 grant towards the $35,000 price tag of purchasing mobile dental equipment.
Why a mobile dental clinic?

“Families are so busy," says Stratford director of health Andrea Boissevain. "It’s difficult to leave work, pick up your child, bring her to our current clinic at Johnson House, and then return her to school, so we decided to change how we do business."

As a pilot, the mobile equipment, which will consist of a reclining dental chair, pro-cart, imaging machine, etc., will be brought to a school for a limited period of time on a rotating basis.

Lordship, Nichols, and Franklin Elementary schools and Wooster Middle school will be the first schools to have the dental hygiene and restorative care clinics offered.

It’s a little known secret that the Stratford Health Department has provided dental services through its school-based clinic for more than 30 years.

Cleaning and dentist appointments are available for Stratford’s children in kindergarten through 12th grade. The clinic takes those covered by Husky insurance or for those children who have no coverage for dental care and meet the established income limits.  These students are billed on a sliding scale basis.

“Bringing the clinics to where the students are seemed like a customer-friendly thing to do; but more importantly, it’s bringing much needed affordable dental care to those who do not have dental insurance or who are underinsured,” Boissevain said.

To inquire about eligibility, parents should contact the Stratford Health Department at 203.385.4058.