Local dental services now provided by PanCare Health

Dental services will soon return to the health Department building in Carrabelle but will now be provided by a Company called PanCare health, a Federally Qualified health Center out of Panama City.

The health Department began providing dental services from its clinic in Carrabelle in 2012; they also provided dental services at local schools.

The services were geared toward low income residents as well as children at the local schools.

Because of changes in medicaid payments, the health department was not able to keep providing the much needed service and closed the clinic at the end of December.

Health Department chief Marsh Linderman said because of cuts in funding, the health department saw its payments drop from about 180 dollars a visit to about 50 dollars a visit.

Miss Linderman said the state’s Low Income Pool was also cut, which also impacted the bottom line.

Now a company called PanCare will take over.

Because they are a Federally Qualified health Center, they were able to get some federal grant money to continue the dental services, plus they get a little higher reimbursement for visits.

PanCare will operate out of the Health Department building in Carrabelle and said they plan to offer services 3 days a week to start and expand to 5 days a week if possible.

They are applying for a grant to expand services which would provide 300 thousand dollars a year for two years.

The dental services will not be free but will be provided on a sliding scale. 

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