The Tufts Dental Facilities clinic in Waltham, MA, will be closed or forced to relocate on June 30 due to a cost-saving measure by the state, according to a news story in the school's student paper the Tufts Daily. The move could potentially leave more than 2,000 special needs patients without dental care, the newspaper reports.
Tufts Dental Facilities is a collection of seven sites operated by the Tufts School of Dental Medicine that serve disabled patients. The Waltham clinic is housed in the Fernald Development Center, a residential facility for patients with severe mental disorders, autism, or brain injuries, that is being privatized due to lack of funds.
The dental school is trying to find another location where patients can receive services, and is working with the state and the Department of Health to obtain funding and begin operations, according to Joseph Castellana, executive associate dean of the School of Dental Medicine.
Copyright © 2010 DrBicuspid.com
