Oak Orchard Health celebrated the opening of their new dental center in Albion on Thursday afternoon, with an official ribbon cutting at their new location at 362 S. Main Street.
Oak Orchard Health CEO Karen Kinter says the creation of the Albion office has been a goal of the board and the organization for a long time as there has been a lack of dental services in the area which is detrimental to the total health of patients in the Albion area.
Video of ribbon cutting on August 10, 2023– CEO Karen Kinter(left) and Chief Dental Officer Rachel Nozzi(right)
“We’ve had dental in Brockport, it’s been our home base, we’ve never had the space and the financials to get us here and were finally here. From a community perspective its very significant, we’re the only dental practice that accepts Medicaid and Medicaid managed care plans which a large portion of this county has those benefits,” says Kinter.
Kinter says there is a big need in the area and no access with most dental offices being full.
“A lot of people pull out their own teeth, honestly that is happening, if you look around the community there are a lot of people without teeth or missing a tooth because there is no dental or its not affordable. Unfortunately, when there is no access, people do other things.”
Oak Orchard’s new Dental Center offers 7 new exam rooms and dental services for adults and children. They accept most insurances and offer a sliding fee discount scale. Currently, Dr. Jenna Rogge is a full time Dentist at the office and Miranda Betances is the full time Dental Hygienist. The office opened in January 2023 and is currently at capacity. There are also dental centers in Brockport, Hornell, Warsaw and the Mobile Dental unit that serves Orleans County Schools.
“There is an extreme dental need here, the provider to patient ratio is 1 dentist to over 4,000 patients, it’s an extreme underserved area, so having a physical site in Orleans County was really important to Oak Orchard Health to address these needs,” says Oak Orchard Health Chief Dental Officer Rachel Nozzi.
Oak Orchard Dental Center Staff
The Dental Center has 6 employees currently and is working to add a second dentist and hygienist, but Nozzi says there is a shortage of hygienists since the pandemic, and it has been difficult to get a dentist to move to a rural area.
“We are a federally qualified health center, so we are a safety net for the community, our mission is to serve underserved communities and populations and we have a team of extremely compassionate providers and hardworking people, you’re in really good hands when you are here.”
CEO Karen Kinter says she is part of the Orleans County community, and her goal is to provide affordable healthcare services to all patients living in the area.
“This practice is very important to the community and the organization for us to continue to grow along with meeting out mission and our values. Our employees are also very important, most of them live and work in the community.”
Link to website below for more information. Albion Dental Center phone# 585-589-5613 Ext. 2. The office is open Monday -Thursday 8AM-5PM
Oak Orchard Health | Let’s all grow healthier together.
This is the 11th health center opened by Oak Orchard Health, which also offers Medical and Behavioral Health Services. Oak Orchard Health also provides transportation and translation services for patients.
Left to right-County Legislator Merle Skip Draper, Congressman Joseph Morelle, Assemblyman Steve Hawley and State Senator Robert Ortt join Oak Orchard Health CEO Karen Kinter in celebrating the new Dental Center in Albion and the 50th Anniversary of Oak Orchard Health, which started as a migrant health project and has since integrated into health centers with 11 locations and serving the communities of Albion, Alexander, Batavia, Brockport, Corfu/Pembroke, Hornell, Warsaw and Medina.