The Blue Ridge Community Health Services (BRCHS) dental clinic in Hendersonville, NC, has agreed to use the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) for administrative and clinical leadership.
BRCHS is the primary provider of dental services for low-income children and adults in Henderson County, according to a press release. Last year the dental clinic provided 10,885 dental encounters; more than 73% of the dental patients are uninsured.
The dental residency program at MAHEC is a postdoctoral program designed to expand dental school graduates' knowledge and skills to enable them to provide comprehensive oral healthcare to a wide range of population groups. Oral health is viewed as an integral and interactive part of total health, and treatment of medically complex patients is emphasized in the program.
Four dental residents complete the program each year. The 2012 graduates all remained in North Carolina to practice dentistry.
The clinic has been serving Hendersonville and the surrounding communities for nearly 50 years to provide affordable medical, dental, and mental health care as well as promote health awareness and education.
