ORANGE PARK – As construction continued at The Way Free Medical Clinic on College Drive, officials with the organization that provides free healthcare to low-income residents have been working to add free dental care to its services.

Not only would care be available to a significant portion of the county, but it would also help alleviate hospital emergency rooms from being inundated by people who desperately need relief.

“The thing about Florida is the stats here are abysmal,” said Executive Director Don Fann. “There are tens of millions of dollars in emergency care (for toothaches) that they essentially can’t do anything about. They go to the emergency room because they have pain. They give them pain relievers, but they can’t do dental work.”

Fann also said that 1.7 million children in Florida who haven’t visited the dentist’s office in the last year are on Medicaid. Moreover, six million of the state’s population of nearly 22 million people don’t see a dentist.

The clinic was gifted the property at 302 College Dr., and the nonprofit immediately started raising nearly $3 million needed to move out of the 3,330-square-foot facility in Green Cove Springs.

The state gave $1.45 million, followed by the Board of Clay County Commissioners providing $170,000 toward a mobile medical unit and another $250,000 in American Rescue Plan money. The ARPA money was contingent on adding dental care.

The Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics provided a $145,000 grant toward dental equipment for three of the four examination rooms “so the dental client doesn’t have to lug a bunch of junky old equipment with them,” Fann said.

The service couldn’t come quickly enough, especially since most dentists don’t accept Medicaid patients.

“There are basically two reasons. There is a huge dental dentist shortage, down 1,300 dentists in Florida alone. And the Medicaid reimbursement rate for dental is extremely low when compared to Florida’s national average. So it’s not that dentists don’t want to take Medicaid. They just can’t afford to do it because dental is expensive. If you have dental coverage through Medicaid, chances are you’ll be hard-pressed to find a dentist.”

Fann said most veterans don’t have dental care in their VA benefits, so there’s a desperate need to serve them. And once The Way opens its new facility on College Drive, it will only be less than a mile from the county’s VA Clinic.

“The majority of veterans that are enrolled with medical VA benefits – less than 40% – have dental,” he said. “The only ones with dental benefits are those on 100% disability.

“I haven’t computed what that number would be in Clay County, but we got a lot, and the majority of them don’t have dental insurance. If they need a full restoration, it’s like $20,000. They can’t afford it. So, guess where we are? Right up the street within walking distance from the VA clinic. We’re going to start a vet track for medical and dental because even if you have insurance but can’t find a doctor, we can serve you.

“We have to learn what the problem is and then create the solution, and this is solvable.”

Fann said workers are rebuilding the existing building and expanding the facility with plans to be operational by July. The current clinic in Green Cove Springs has 3,300 square feet; the new clinic will have 7,700 square feet.