• Hillcrest Dental Care Campaign Marks Halfway Point 10/20/2009
Hillcrest Dental Care is more than halfway to its fundraising goal of $130,000 to construct and equip two new treatment operatories.
Through community support and private donations, Hillcrest Dental Care has raised more than $80,000 in gifts and pledges. Reaching the $130,000 goal will enable Hillcrest Dental Care to meet the growing need for oral health services by adding two new treatment rooms to their six existing treatment rooms.
Hillcrest President Gerard Burke said, “With this urgently needed addition to our dental facility we can ensure quality and accessible oral healthcare for the most vulnerable members of our community. We appreciate all the donors who have brought us half way to our goal and are now reaching out to find more support. The fact that we have gotten this far so quickly indicates people understand the value of this service.”
Hillcrest Dental Care is the largest provider of oral health services to the low income and special needs community in Western Massachusetts. Hillcrest Dental Care is the exclusive or primary provider to Soldier On, Berkshire County Arc, Riverbrook Residence for Women, Berkshire Meadows, Hillcrest, Kolburne and Eagleton schools and others. Nearly 2,000 of their patients are children under the age of 16.
Burke added, “Currently Hillcrest Dental Care serves over 6,000 patients a year. This expansion will allow us to take on 2,000 additional patients and will create four new full time jobs, including two dentists.”
The state of the art facility provides all aspects of general dentistry following the guidelines of the American Dental Association code of ethics. Hillcrest Dental Care’s highly trained and experienced staff consists of five dentists, three dental hygienists, six dental assistants, three office support staff and one operations director.
Anyone interested in donating gifts can mail them to Hillcrest Dental Care, 788 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 or contact Steve Conroy at 499 7924 ext 133.
Background information:
A sample of the many special needs and human service organizations to whom Hillcrest Dental Care is the exclusive or primary provider:
• Soldier ON
• Riverbrook Residence for Women
• Eagleton School
• Berkshire County Arc
• Berkshire Meadows
• Kolbourne School
Hillcrest Dental Care also supports many of the assisted living and long term care providers, including:
• Hillcrest Commons
• Village at Laurel Lake
• Mt. Greylock Extended Care
• Berkshire Place
• Kimball Farms
About our patients
• Hillcrest Dental provides care to over 6,000 patients
• 3,800 are from Central Berkshire County
• 2,500 patients are 16 and under
• Nearly 90% of our patients are on MassHealth Insurance
• 1,800 are from South Berkshire County
• 1,250 patients are 10 and under
• 400 are from North Berkshire County
Need for Oral Healthcare
• Studies have linked oral health conditions to a variety of health problems including cardiovascular disease and low birth weight
• People of low income, the elderly and minorities are least likely to have visited a dentist in the past year
• 25% of 3rd grade students in Massachusetts public schools have untreated tooth decay
• 164 million hours of work are lost each year in the United States due to dental disease
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