Leased van serves as one-chair office until this spring

A dental practice is cranking up at the Flathead City-County Health Department's Community Health Center.

The practice began in late December in a leased van outside the Earl Bennett Building, and is tentatively expected in April to move to the building's third floor, which is under construction.

Dr, Jennie Helm, with 13 years of experience, is the new clinic's dentist along with a dental assistant for what is essentially a one-chair practice.

The third-floor clinic will have five chairs with the eventual possibility of adding a second dentist if the patient load grows that big.

"There's an incredible dental need in the community," said Wendy Doely, the Community Health Center's director.

Seventy-one percent of the Community Health Center's patients do not have health insurance.

Like the rest of the health center, the dental clinic is for low-income people and families. Fees are on an income-based sliding scale with a minimum of $20 for a dental visit.

So far, the practice is averaging about nine patients a day -mostly emergency cases.

Routine check-ups likely will begin when the third-floor clinic opens.

Clinic officials do not know yet how many patients the clinic might eventually serve.

"We have this growing curve to go through before we can predict numbers," Helm said.

The dental clinic is operating under a $1.29 million state grant that will be spread across 26 months.

The health department has applied for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services money - scoring 95 out of 100 points on its application. However, the cut-off score was 96.

But Doely is "cautiously optimistic" that the Flathead health department's application might nudge itself into acceptance in possibly six to 12 months.