News Releases
News from Lane Community College, Eugene, Oregon
Public information officer: Joan Aschim, (541) 463-5591, aschimj@lanecc.edu
Contacts: Sharon Hagan, LCC Dental Clinic Coordinator, (541) 463-5616, hagans@lanecc.edu
Renee Yandel, HIV Alliance Director of Client Services, (541) 342-5088 ext. 15, cltsvs1@hivalliance.org
Diane Lang, HIV Alliance Executive Director, (541) 342-5088 ext. 21, dlang@hivalliance.org
For release October 5, 2006
$400,000 grant will fund oral health care for HIV/AIDS patients
EUGENE - HIV Alliance of Eugene, Lane Community College, and Community Health Centers of Lane County, won a $2 million grant of $400,000 per year for five years to create a model dental clinic for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Funding is provided by the federal Health Resource Services Administration, under the Special Projects of National Significance of the Ryan White CARE Act.
Only 15 grants were awarded nationally and only one awarded in the Pacific Northwest. The project will serve people living with HIV/AIDS in southern half of Oregon. The goal is to create a replicable nationwide model.
The Lane Community College Dental Clinic will serve as the facility. The model uses student assistance and dental professionals from CHC. In addition, Lane and CHC intend to expand upon this innovative model to address the great unmet dental needs of the community at large.
Access to dental care for low income individuals living with HIV/AIDS is greatly restricted. Though some clients have limited services through the Oregon Health Plan, most have no dental insurance at all.
"Our clients face great challenges in accessing dental care,” says Renee Yandel, Director of the Client Services Program at HIV Alliance. “Without assistance most would receive no dental care. This leaves them vulnerable to infection and decreased nutrition. Lack of dental care exacerbates already complicated medical conditions and disrupts adherence to HIV treatment regimens. This grant is a milestone in the effort to support and assist community members affected by HIV/AIDS.”
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