Florida dental clinic receives $80,000 grant

The Sarasota County Health Department has received an $80,000 grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, which will allow the department to expand its dental clinic at the North Port Health Park, according to a news story in the Herald Tribune.

The Health Department and 19 other organizations are the recipients of the third and final round of grants by the nonprofit for the year, which total about $787,000 for the year, according to the story.

The Health Department's North Port clinic, which currently has three chairs, will now add two more when it re-opens in about five months.

Emergencies have increased at all three service sites, said Dr. Chander Malik, the Health Department's dental executive director, in the story. "Private dentists have told me they are seeing less people, but with people losing their jobs and insurance, we are swamped."