Big Bear, CA, January 12, 2017 – Bear Valley Community Healthcare District announced that they will be partnering with The Center for Oral Health in the re-opening of the Rural Health Clinic to provide dental services to local residents.
From 2005 to 2014 the Bear Valley Community Healthcare District provided dental services at the Rural Health Clinic located on West Big Bear Blvd. in Big Bear City. However in November 2014, the Board of Directors voted to close the clinic due to financial difficulty facing the District at that time and the movement of many services to the Brenda Boss Family Resource Center.
In February 2016, BVCHD was approached by The Center for Oral Health in hopes of partnering to re-open the dental clinic and begin providing services to the community again. Negotiations, site visits, and planning committees had been ongoing, and on November 9th a final agreement was reached. BVCHD’s CFO, Garth Hamblin stated at the November 2016 Business Board meeting that he believed opening the Rural Health Clinic was “the right thing to do.” He further stated that dental services would not generate a great deal of income for the District, however, with the new partnership, the District would not lose money either, and it would provide an opportunity to service some of our most vulnerable populations who cannot make the drive off the mountain for needed dental services. The Center for Oral Health will have a Dentist and a Registered Dental Hygienist onsite to provide dental care services.
The Rural Health Clinic is scheduled to re-open on January 12, 2017 with a ribbon cutting event planned for February 24, 2017.
