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By Kara Davidson
Gazette Reporter 

New dental clinic in Pullman aims to fill need in county

 

February 7, 2019



Pullman recently saw the grand opening of a new dental clinic. Unify Family Dental had its celebration on Jan. 8 at 1095 SE Bishop Blvd. The clinic has been open for almost three months. The Clinic's hours are Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Several years ago, Troy Henderson, the Director of Whitman County Public Health Department, contacted Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, an organization which specializes in serving the underserved in rural and urban communities, about the need expressed in the communities.

In 2015, a survey was commissioned to determine the biggest health care needs in Whitman County. The Community Needs Assessment Survey had more than 1,000 responses and the group was able to identify the top needs for the community; affordable dental care. Also high on the list were transportation to services and access to nutritious food.

“We’ve seen a large need for dental services in Whitman County,” said Amber Betts, the Communications Coordinator for Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic.

Unify Family Dental is an expansion of Unify Community Health of Spokane, which in turn is a part of Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic.

“Our primary objective with any clinic in our organization is to meet the needs of the communities we’re in,” said Betts.

Unify Family Dental is a family clinic that offers general dentistry for both children and adults. General dentistry covers preventative and restorative services; cleanings, x-rays, tooth decay removal, fillings and dental trauma.

“If a patient’s needs are complex enough for specialty dental care, we will refer patients to specialists,” said Betts.

Unify Family Dental is a Federally Qualified Community Health Center; regardless of patients ability to pay, they will serve them. Not only does it serve patients in Whitman County with Medicaid or other dental coverages, for those without insurance they offer a sliding scale of fees for the services, based on the individual’s income.

Unify has eight staff members and eight work spaces, in the 8,000 square food building. They are capable of seeing up to 35 patients per day.

Dr. Elizabeth Harrington is the only staff member who didn't come from Pullman or its surrounding areas, but has experience serving patients from underserved communities. All the staff share the passion for serving the underserved. Since the new year the clinic has seen growth in the number of patient calls, and they predict it to continue growing.

 

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