Bear Valley Community Healthcare District to re-open dental clinic in Big Bear City through partnership with The Center for Oral Health:

BIG BEAR, CA – Bear Valley Community Healthcare District is pleased to announce that they will be partnering with The Center for Oral Health in the re-opening of the Rural Health Clinic to provide dental services to local residents.

From 2005 to 2014 the Bear Valley Community Healthcare District provided dental services at the Rural Health Clinic located at 1028 West Big Bear Blvd. Big Bear City. However in November 2014, the Board of Directors voted to close the clinic due to financial difficulty facing the District at that time and the movement of many services to the Brenda Boss Family Resource Center.

In February 2016, BVCHD was approached by The Center for Oral Health in hopes of partnering to re-open the dental clinic and begin providing services to the community again. Negotiations, site visits, and planning committees had been ongoing, and on November 9^th a final agreement was reached. BVCHD’s CFO, Garth Hamblin stated at the November 2016 Business Board meeting that he believed opening the Rural Health Clinic  was “the right thing to do.” He further stated that dental services would not generate a great deal of income for the District, however, with the new partnership, the District would not lose money either, and it would provide an opportunity to service some of our most vulnerable populations who cannot make the drive off the mountain for needed dental services.

The Center for Oral Health was founded in 1985 and has a long standing history in providing needed dental services to vulnerable populations. The Center for Oral Health will have a Dentist and a Registered Dental Hygienist onsite to provide dental care services.

The Rural Health Clinic is scheduled to re-open on January 12, 2017. Due to inclement weather, BVCHD and The Center for Oral Health are planning a soft launch once the doors are open, and then scheduling a ribbon cutting event on February 24, 2017.

For more information, please contact Director Outpatient Services, Sheri Mursick (909) 878-8258. Community members may schedule dental appointments by calling (909) 878-8221.

About Bear Valley Community Hospital:

Bear Valley Community Healthcare District (BVCHD) was founded in 1974. The hospital is a 30 bed Critical Access Hospital with a stand by, fully staffed Emergency Room open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 21 beds are designated as a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) providing long term care options for the local community. Bear Valley Community Hospital’s diagnostic imaging services include CT scan, Ultrasound, X-ray and mammography. A full service clinical laboratory, Respiratory and Physical Therapy are also available. BVCHD operates a Family Health Clinic specializing in family and preventive medicine for children, adults, and senior residents and visitors of the Big Bear Valley. BVCHD also serves as the parent organization for the community outreach program, The Mom & Dad Project, parent education and resource center.  BVCHD recently affiliated with Loma Linda University Health (LLUH) and is in the process of developing several clinically integrated programs.

For more information please call 909-878-8214 or visit our website at www.bvchd.com.

About the Center for Oral Health:

The Center for Oral Health (COH) is a public service provider and public health think tank that translates oral health science into public policy and oral health care practice management recommendations, to improve access to care and health outcomes.

COH is recognized as a pioneer oral health think tank, and as a practice incubator. COH works through community partnerships to promote cost-effective, comprehensive, and integrated approaches to the delivery of health care services for underserved and vulnerable populations across the globe.

Since its inception in 1985, COH has provided an independent voice to advance oral health knowledge, inform public policy, and inspire better healthcare delivery practices. COH is focused on the development of innovative, cost effective and equitable community-based solutions to improve access to oral health care and eliminate disparities in access to health. COH is a leader in oral health care delivery outside of the traditional dental care delivery models and addressing the needs of underserved communities.

For more information please call (909) 469-8300 or visit the website at http://www.centerfororalhealth.org/