South suburban families can expect more oral care support in the area.
Family Christian Health Center, headquartered in Harvey, will soon expand its dental services at its location in south suburban Lynwood. Through the Federally Qualified Capacity Building program, the nonprofit health organization will receive $132,441 to ramp up dental awareness, access, and education.
The Federally Qualified Capacity Building program, funded by the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation and Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation, aims to address the need for comprehensive oral care across the area.
According to the United States Department of Health & Human Services, FQHCs are nonprofit health clinics that serve medically underserved or high need communities. Some centers provide services based on a sliding scale of ability to pay or provide services regardless of ability to pay.
FCHC provides primary care, behavioral health, dental services, maternal and pediatric care care.
“With these grants, there is a focus not only on access, but also education,” said Lora Vitek, Executive Director of the Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation, “providing both care and the knowledge to help individuals be on the right track for healthy lives.”
“Our vision is for every child in Illinois to grow up healthy. Illinois Children’s Healthcare
Foundation is proud to partner with Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation in the important
work of addressing health disparities across the state,” said Heather Higgins Alderman, President of Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation. “This new funding increases the
opportunity for children throughout the state to access high-quality oral healthcare.”
Nine federally-qualified health centers across the state will receive funding from the two organizations, totaling $2.6 million in oral assistance.
This oral care expansion comes amid other recent efforts to grow the FCHC south suburban footprint.
In 2021, it opened a 5,200 square foot maternal and pediatric care center up the street from Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey.
