In the immediate area surrounding the clinic, at 801 S. Chevy Chase Drive, suite 250, an estimated 14,000 households have incomes at least 200% beneath the federal poverty level, he said.
Spread among the company’s four clinics, 90% of its patients fall under the same financial category, he said.
Almost 25% of residents in the same service area do not have a medical “home,” where they routinely return for primary care services, according to a survey by Glendale Adventist Medical Center.
The Glendale community health center aims to fill that void.
The 10,000-square-foot clinic boasts two full-time physicians, one full-time dentist and 18 exam rooms with nine dental chairs, two of which are specially equipped for children, said Ara Tavitian, the health centers’ chief executive officer.
“Oral care is the most important, because a lot of patients don’t have access to dental care,” Tavitian said.
Especially among children, oral care is crucial because dental problems can be gateways to other medical conditions, he said.
About one in seven children enter first grade with cavities and poor oral health, said Camille Levee, executive director of Glendale Healthy Kids, which has partnered with the clinic in steering qualified families to its resources.
About 70% of Comprehensive Community Health Centers’ patients are covered by Medi-Cal and 18% are uninsured, Steward said.
Those who are uninsured pay a fee based on a sliding scale according to income, he said.
Though the primary beneficiaries of the clinic are expected to be the families that find a new healthcare home when they wander in, community institutions like the school district and local hospitals are poised to benefit indirectly.
