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Volume2 Issue7
I
ssues and
P
eople
3.5FTEs certifieddental assistants)
are salariedwithpaidholidays and
extendedbenefits. Inaddition, 12
weeksof dental services areprovided
bya rotationof unpaiddental interns
from theUniversityof BritishColumbia.
Thedental clinicworks closelywith
theCHCandpatients canaccessboth
healthcareanddental care fromCool
Aidwithin the same location. CHC’s
pharmacy is critical to this integration
andpatientsof thedental clinicare
able toaccessnecessaryanalgesics and
antibiotics, regardlessof drugcoverage.
Patients
In2013, therewereover 5500patient
visits to theclinic, representing
close to12,000dental procedures. A
typical patient visit involves 2.1dental
procedures at acost of $130. Ina typical
week, theclinic staffs see107patients
andprovides 226dental procedures.
Roughly85%of patients at theclinic
accesspublicdental benefits, almost
all throughprovincial social assistance.
The remaining15%of patients are
uninsuredandpayout-of-pocket. Less
than1%of patients at theclinicaccess
the federal Non-InsuredHealthBenefits
(NIHB) program. However, thedemand
for dental services isgreater thanwhat
thecliniccanprovide: 1 in4people
whocall theclinic seekinghelp—close
to1700 individuals—are turnedaway.
Whilenoone inpain is turnedaway, the
clinic focuseson thosemost inneed
of affordablecareanddoesnot accept
patientswithemployer-sponsored
dental benefits.
Treatments
Although theclinicprovidespatients
withemergency services for relief of
painand infection, only10%of the
treatmentsprovidedat theclinicare
toothextractions. Roughly25%of the
treatments are for restorativework, 20%
for preventivedental services, 35% for
diagnostic services (typicallyexams
andX-rays), and10% for endodontic
andprosthodontic treatments and
adjunctivegeneral services. Indollars
spent,more thanhalf of the feesbilled
by theclinicare for costlyprocedures
related to restorative services and
prosthodontics, typicallydentures.
Finances
Thedental clinicoperatesasa social
enterprisenon-profit anddepends
on recoveryofpatient feesas itsmain
sourceof revenue. In2013, theclinic’s
revenues totalled roughly$855,000and
total expenses totalled roughly$930,000,
leavinganannual deficitof $75,000 (see
Table1
for afinancial summary). These
estimatesdonot includeequipment
capital costsor amortizationcosts for the
clinic’sclinical assets.
The$75,000deficit couldbecovered
by increasing theHealthAuthority
annual operatinggrant from$150,000
to$225,000. This amountwould
contribute$40 toa typical patient
visit.While fees frompatients and their
dental plans contributemost of the
necessary revenue (82%), prioritizing
access for low-incomepatientsmeans
annual deficits arebilled toCool Aid’s
fundraising revenues.
Conclusion
Cool Aid’sCommunityDental Clinic
provides amodel for improvingaccess
tocare tounderserved, vulnerable
populations. However,more revenue
isneeded to sustain its current
operations. Thisprofileof theclinic
demonstrates thevalueandnecessity
of annual operating funds inproviding
approximately5,500dental visits each
year toanunderservedpopulation.
a
Theviewsexpressedarethoseoftheauthoranddonotnecessarilyreflect
theopinionsorofficialpoliciesoftheCanadianDentalAssociation.
Table1:
AnnualFinancialEstimates
RevenueSource
Revenue ($)
%TotalRevenue
HealthAuthorityannual operatinggrant
150,000
17.5
Dental fees (out-of-pocket, publicplans)
700,000
81.9
Donations
5,000
0.6
TOTALREVENUE
855,000
Reason forExpense
WagesandBenefits
Expense ($)
%TotalExpense
Dentist fees
282,500
Staffwages (CDAs,DH&coordinator)
200,000
Benefitsandwageexpenses
85,000
Casual CDAwages
50,000
TotalWagesandBenefitsExpenses
617,500
66.4
BuildingExpenses
Rent
11,500
Janitorial andbuilding services
20,250
Insurance
7,000
Utilities (hydro& telephone)
7,250
TotalBuildingExpenses
46,000
4.9
ProgramExpenses
Clinic supplies
65,000
Lab fees
120,000
Office suppliesandexpenses
2,000
Computer expensesand support
9,500
Total ProgramExpenses
196,500
21.1
AdministrationExpenses
TotalAdministrationExpenses
70,000
7.5
TOTALEXPENSES
930,000
DEFICIT
(Total Revenue - Total Expenses)
-75,000
Photocredit:VictoriaCoolAidSociety,withcopyright.
