HRSA awards Ryan White HIV/AIDS grant to ECMC department of dentistry

Grant provides reimbursement, enables access to oral health care services for low income, uninsured/underinsured HIV/AIDS patients, and training of future dental service providers

Erie County Medical Center Corp. department of dentistry, oral oncology and maxillofacial prosthetics officials recently received notification from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of a Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part F Dental Reimbursement Program grant award of $58,977.

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part F is a dental reimbursement program designed to improve critical access to oral health care services for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured patients with HIV/AIDS, and to train the next generation of dental providers to deliver specialized care to people with HIV/AIDS. Funding is provided by defraying a portion of unreimbursed dental care costs incurred by ECMC by treating low-income, uninsured, and underinsured people with HIV/AIDS, because the hospital is an accredited dental education program recognized by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

Up to 56 grants were awarded by HRSA for this purpose to accredited programs nationwide.

Jennifer Frustino, D.D.S., Ph.D., director of oral cancer screening and diagnostics, division of oral oncology and maxillofacial prosthetics, department of dentistry, ECMC, said, “We are grateful for this grant from HRSA. These funds will enable ECMC to provide access to critically important oral health care services to those HIV/AIDS patients who may not have the resources otherwise. The clinical training component of this grant will increase the number of dentists qualified to administer the specialized care necessary for this vulnerable patient population.”

The ECMC department of dentistry has a strong collaborative relationship with ECMC’s YOU Center for Wellness (formerly the Immunodeficiency Services Center). This relationship supports timely, comprehensive oral care for individuals with HIV/AIDS. Patients do not need to receive care at the YOU Center to be seen for oral health care at ECMC. ECMC dentists are specialized in treating individuals with HIV/AIDS. They provide comprehensive oral health care including preventive, restorative, prosthetic and implant dentistry.

Those HIV/AIDS patients in need of a dental appointment can call one of the three ECMC office locations:

• Department of dentistry at ECMC: 716-898-3189
• Department of oral oncology and maxillofacial prosthetics at ECMC: 716-898-1461
• ECMC Dental Center at Buffalo General Hospital: 716-859-4180

Additional information is available at:

• ECMC’s Center for Dental Care: https://www.ecmc.edu/health-services-and-doctors/outpatient-specialty-clinics/dental-clinic/
• ECMC oral oncology and maxillofacial prosthetics: https://www.ecmc.edu/health-services-and-doctors/cancer-and-oncology/oral-oncology-maxillofacial-prosthetics/