JPS dental clinics will soon offer more services. Here’s what they can do for your teeth
Patients at JPS neighborhood clinics will be able to get more dental care at those clinics starting in January, the county hospital decided Thursday, Nov. 14.
JPS Health Network, which is publicly operated and funded, decided to lease out space at five of its neighborhood clinics to Bravo Dental. The Dallas-based dental company provides dental care at Parkland Health, JPS’s counterpart in Dallas.
Bravo is expected to begin operating in JPS clinics in January, said Joy Parker, a senior vice president with JPS. Bravo offers more services than JPS does, including complex extractions, root canals, crowns and bridges, Parker said at a board meeting.
Dental care is consistently ranked as a top health need among Texans. A report from the Texas Health Institute found that two in three Texas third graders had cavities, compared to about half of third graders nationally.
Part of the challenge of accessing dental care is that not all Texans have dental insurance, which can make paying for dental care challenging. Bravo Dental accepts insurance, but also offers membership plans that pay for a set number of services for one annual cost. A “Bravo Baby” plan, for example, costs $142 a year and pays for two exams, two cleanings, and one emergency visit, among other services, according to Bravo’s website.
JPS also expects that Bravo Dental will be able to treat more patients annually than could be treated by JPS staff alone, Parker said at a board meeting in July.
There are 24 JPS employees who provide dental services in JPS clinics. Bravo has expressed interest in hiring all JPS employees to work at the Bravo-operated clinics, Parker said this summer.
On Thursday, the JPS board approved two agreements with Bravo: The first allows Bravo to rent space at five clinics for a $134,677.51 annual rent. The second is an agreement between Bravo and JPS for the dental company to use JPS grant funds to care for specific at-risk populations, like patients with HIV and new moms and children.
