![]() ![]() Untreated oral pain is the leading reason children miss school in Milwaukee Public Schools, said Kosowski. Healthy development of young and school-aged children can also be impaired when they suffer from pain or swelling, which has been especially evident in Milwaukee. There is particular risk to pregnant mothers, who can be expected to have preterm babies or babies born with low birth weights when they experience poor oral health, Kosowski said. Adults with poor oral health are more likely to develop heart conditions, diabetes, respiratory problems and certain cancers, among other issues. ]Taking care of one’s oral health is crucial to maintaining overall health. “I want their mouths to be the last thing they think about,” Kosowski said. Swelling, sores, bleeding and tooth decay are other common reasons to seek urgent care.īy addressing acute issues, Ascension’s dentists work to restore a base level of oral health so patients can then pursue more routine or preventive care at other low-cost or free clinics. “Pain is the number one issue,” Kosowski said. The goal of these urgent care clinics is to get patients out of a dental-related crisis. Outreach Community Health Centers now houses a mobile dental clinic at its North Side location, but a permanent clinic is expected to open later this month. These new locations will expand Ascension’s ability to serve these patients. ![]() “We would open doors at 7:30, and we would have people standing outside at a quarter to 7,” said Robert Ramerez, director of community clinic operations at Ascension Wisconsin. “And so it’s not until it becomes more apparent that their parents will seek care at that point.” Children’s Alliance is housed within Children’s Wisconsin and focuses on child health initiatives and partners with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.Īscension’s previous South Side location on Historic Mitchell Street faced challenges, with patients often going to some lengths to get an appointment. “They don’t always verbalize right away that they’re having pain or aren’t able to verbalize that they’re having pain,” Deinhammer said. This shortage limits the ability for Milwaukee residents to get dental care in situations when it is urgent, which is particularly relevant in the case of young children, said Lindsay Deinhammer, project manager for the oral health initiative at Children’s Alliance. More than 60 counties out of 72 in the state qualify as an HPSA for dental providers, said Jenna Linden, oral health program leader at Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin. Oral care in surrounding regions is similarly hard to come by. When it comes to oral care, Milwaukee County exists in what’s known as a Health Professional Shortage Area, or HPSA, an area that has either a partial or a full shortage of specific types of providers. The purpose of our clinics is to cut that gap and try to provide access all over town,” Kosowski added. In these parts of the city, “dentist offices are sparse. Securing these new clinic spaces is “a great opportunity for us to help those in most need … the North and South Side of the city seem to have some of the biggest discrepancies in access to care,” said Charles Kosowski, dentist at Ascension Seton Dental Services. Francis Hospital houses the new South Side location at 3267 S. Photo provided by Ascension Seton Dental Services/NNS.Īscension Seton Dental Services, part of the nonprofit Ascension health care system, has opened a new urgent care location on the South Side and will be opening another one on the North Side to provide services for children and adults who are uninsured and underinsured.Īscension St. Charles Kosowski, dentist with Ascension Seton Dental Services, examines a patient. ![]()
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