Mercy Health Foundation Donates Funds to Expand Dental Care Services in Hamilton

Mercy Health - Cincinnati, which provides advanced, quality, compassionate care in your neighborhood through its care network, announces that the Mercy Health Foundation has donated $250,000 to support the expansion of dental care services available at Primary Health Solutions (PHS) in Hamilton.

Dental care plays a key role in good health and studies show that poor oral health is linked to cardiovascular disease, low infant birth weights and poor outcomes for students who are in pain due to their dental health.

“Dental care remains the number one unmet healthcare need for Butler County children and adults, disproportionately affecting low income individuals and racial and ethnic minorities,” said Marc Bellisario, PHS Chief Executive Officer. “Mercy Health Foundation’s generous donation will support the expansion of PHS’ dental service center from four to eight bays, doubling it in size and enabling our dentists to see and treat many more patients annually for preventive care and repairs to help patients preserve their natural teeth. It will also help patients who have lost their teeth to get dentures at reasonable price.”

“In addition to improving access to dental care for under-served patients in the City of Hamilton and reducing instances of chronic disease caused by decay, this expanded Dental Center will also provide much needed services to the high number of patients who visit the emergency department at Mercy Health – Fairfield Hospital for relief from dental pain,” said Thomas Urban, Mercy Health – Cincinnati North Market President and CEO. “We’re pleased to be able to refer patients to skilled dentists who can treat their conditions and help them manage their oral health in the long term.”

Construction for the new center will begin at the end of March 2017 with an anticipated opening in mid-June 2017. The Center will be located at the Bever Pavilion at 210 South Second St. in Hamilton, OH. Currently, PHS offers limited dental access in Hamilton. Anyone wishing to access dental services can call 513-454-1111 to schedule an appointment. 

The donation builds upon Mercy Health’s longstanding partnership with PHS, which began with a $1 million grant Mercy Health and the Health Resources and Services Administration provided to begin construction on what is now the Ernst J. Bever Pavilion located at 210 South Second Street in Hamilton.

PHS is the only federally qualified health center in the area and a non-profit, safety-net healthcare provider offering wide range of healthcare services, including dental services, to tens of thousands of at risk, low income or uninsured patients in Butler County and surrounding areas.

Mercy Health has provided social services to those in need in Hamilton since 1941. Mercy Health’s tradition of service and response to community health needs continues today and is evolving regularly in response to the most pressing needs of the Hamilton community.