[B]ENNINGTON — Hoping to address a significant need in the Bennington area, Southwestern Vermont Health Care is planning a dental facility in the medical offices building on the campus of the local hospital.
The unit would occupy 1,890 square feet of the first floor of the medical building, which is next to the main entrance to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. The plan has been submitted to the Green Mountain Care Board for the needed approval, called a certificate of need.
He said plans call for renovating space on the first floor of the three-story structure to create four dental examination and treatment rooms as well as space for offices, a small laboratory and a panoramic dental X-ray machine.
The cost of the project is estimated to be about $804,000 for the renovation work, equipment and dental practice computer software.
In its application, SVHC cites data showing a significant need for more dental services in the area, including that “a significant percentage of the population within SVMC’s service area is afflicted with dental decay.” It also says a state report showed that “Bennington kindergarteners have the highest incidence of tooth decay among peers in Vermont” and says “access to dental services throughout our service area is limited. No dentists in Bennington are accepting new patients with Medicaid’s Dr. Dynasaur insurance coverage.”
In addition, the application says the area has fewer dentists than in 2001 and it has been difficult for practices to recruit dental staff. Many dentists also are aging, and “76 percent of dentists in Bennington are 50 years or older with 47 percent over 60 years of age,” according to the document.
The application says dental professionals in the area have been involved in discussions about the proposed facility and overwhelmingly supported the plan. Dr. Richard Dundas, a local internist who has been active with the Bennington Oral Health Coalition, said of the plan: “We certainly do support that. There certainly is a shortage in our area.”
The coalition has supported adding fluoride to the Bennington water system to reduce the rate of tooth decay and organizing programs in schools, including screenings of students for dental problems and educational efforts to promote dental health.
The new facility would offer oral evaluations and cleanings, diagnostic imaging, restorative services, tooth extractions, endodontics and preventive treatments, such as sealants. Plans call for having two dentists, two hygienists, dental assistants and other staff members when the facility is at full operation.
The SVHC service area is described as Bennington County; western Windham County; eastern areas of Rensselaer and Washington counties in New York; and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts.
Trimarchi said the space to be renovated has been used by the gastroenterology services and other offices in the medical building. He said a separate $1.2 million project is creating space on the third floor for specialty medical services, including pulmonology, rheumatology, gastroenterology and treatment of infectious diseases.
On the first floor, the medical building also contains primary care offices, the ExpressCare unit and SVMC cancer center offices.
