Of Special Note

Dental clinic for low-income families to open in April

By LINDA McALPINE Freeman Staff (Linda McAlpine can be reached at lmcalpine@conleynet.com)

Waukesha County children whose parents might not be able to afford dental care will soon have a lot to smile about, as the Waukesha County Community Dental Clinic prepares to open in April.

Renovations are underway to the third floor of the Barstow Building, 210 N.W. Barstow St. in Waukesha, to accommodate the 3,000-square-foot clinic, Renee Ramirez, executive director of the clinic, said during a tour Tuesday.

"This is such a great location," she said. "The Barstow Building is located in downtown near the bus station, and it houses other key services, such as the Waukesha Family Practice Center, Hispanic Community Health Resource Center and the La Casa de Esperanza Behavioral Health Clinic."

Ramirez said the dental clinic will be able to knock down some of the "barriers" lowincome families might face when it comes to getting proper dental care for their children.

"There is often a language barrier, but we will be hiring bilingual staff," she said. "Sometimes it's a matter of transportation. We are centrally located near bus lines and downtown."

Amaris Estrada, who will work as a dental hygienist, said another barrier is finding a dentist who accepts state insurance or accepts new patients at all.

Ramirez said there are only two dentists in the entire county that deal with BadgerCare, the state's insurance program.

"Last year, about 17,600 people in the county have state insurance and would be able to qualify for the clinic," she said. "People don't realize there are lowincome families in other areas of the county outside of the city of Waukesha. There are pockets elsewhere in the county."

Ramirez said the clinic's focus on children is so that dental problems can be headed off early before they start with preventive care and education about good oral hygiene.

"We will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. We will see adults on an emergency basis," she said.

The clinic will have six treatment rooms, including a particular spacious area with a wall of glass block windows for dental cleanings by hygienists.

"Our intention is to focus on a warm environment that is less clinical looking, because some of our patients may not have ever been to a dentist ever before," Ramirez said.

Estrada said she feels "honored" to be a part of the clinic.

The dental clinic has been the beneficiary of several large grants and fundraising to make it come to fruition, Ramirez said. Efforts by the Waukesha Memorial Hospital Foundation raised $1.6 million for the dental clinic.

For information about making a monetary donation, call the Waukesha County Community Dental Clinic at 522-7645.

Bryon S. Houlgrave/Freeman Staff Amaris Estrada, left, a registered dental hygienist, and Renee Ramirez, right, executive director of the Waukesha County Community Dental Clinic, pose with a blueprint for the new clinic in the Barstow Building in Waukesha. Construction is ongoing for the new clinic, which will serve low-income families.