Erie in the News
For more information about Erie Family Health Center, please contact Valerie Comprelli at 312.432.7463 or vcomprelli@eriefamilyhealth.org
April 2008 IPHCA oral health release
Healthsource Highlights Opening of Erie Dental Health Center in Humboldt Park
Erie Family Health Center celebrated the opening of its new community dental center in Humboldt Park—the first of its kind in the community—at a celebration on Thursday, March 6, 2008. The center is expected to provide over 3,660 dental visits in the first year to hundreds of low-income women and children.
The event honored State Representative Cynthia Soto who was instrumental in obtaining $650,000 from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to open the dental center. IDPH and the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation were also honored for their roles in the project.
“Erie is committed to expanding access to quality oral health care for the underserved. Erie’s new dental center in Humboldt Park will change the lives of our patients – from the child who misses school due to pain caused by an untreated cavity, to the pregnant woman whose gums will not stop bleeding. This new dental center will stabilize the oral health of patients and improve their quality of life,” says Erie Family Health Center’s President and CEO, Lee Francis, MD, MPH.
As health care resources in Cook County and the city of Chicago become scarce, Erie’s new dental center is a direct response to the need for high quality, affordable oral health services on Chicago’s west side. Hispanic children in Illinois have the lowest “cavity free” rate (Illinois Department of Public Health, 2004). Furthermore, Erie’s Oral Health Needs Assessment conducted in 2007 revealed that 82 percent of Erie’s pregnant women have cavities, with an average of six cavities each. Erie Dental Health Center-Humboldt Park fills a tremendous service gap in the community.
As the first community dental center in the community, Erie Dental Health Center-Humboldt Park will provide children and pregnant women with the oral health care they so desperately need, regardless of ability to pay. “It is not easy for me to trust just anyone, especially when it comes to my health. The staff here has made me feel very comfortable, everyone makes me feel important, and I am given the best care and attention – more than I could ask for,” said Maria, a patient of the center in Humboldt Park.
Erie Family Health Center was founded in 1957 by physicians from Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Its 16-member board of directors includes nine community residents, who are patients of Erie.
Reference: Illinois Department of Public Health. (2004) Oral health: A link to general health. Retrieved March 5, 2008, from http://www.idph.state.il.us/HealthWellness/oralhlth/BurdenDocument.pdf.