: News

Filed Under:

VA Budget Cuts Could Hurt Dental Care For Needy

March 4, 2010
Play associated audio
comments
Health advocates worry that budget cuts will lower the quality and availability of dental care for the poor in Virginia.
Jonathan Wilson
Health advocates worry that budget cuts will lower the quality and availability of dental care for the poor in Virginia.

By Jonathan Wilson

Legislators in Virginia are dealing with a $4 billion budget shortfall, and dental clinics for the state's poorest residents are among those facing possible cuts.

But Virginia already receives poor marks for its dental care, and some argue now is not the time to cut back.

Zena Bakir, a resident of Fairfax, just lost her job, and needs her wisdom teeth pulled. She relies on a low-cost clinic to do it.

"Its really important," says Bakir. "If you cant have a nice smile it really affects your self-esteem and stuff."

And dental health is far from just a cosmetic concern: the American Dental Association says there's a strong link between overall health and oral health.

Joe Pettit with VOICE, Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement, points out that Virginia recently received a "C" grade for its dental care from the Pew Center on the States.

He worries that grade could get lower if a $9 million cut to the state's public health districts, proposed by Virginia's House bill and supported by Governor Bob McDonnell, is approved.

"While that affects all, the services of health districts were afraid that dental needs would be seen as an easy target," says Pettit.

Pettit and two-hundred others from VOICE rallied in Richmond against the cuts.

A Senate budget does NOT include the same reductions. Lawmakers are working to reconcile the plans by the end of the legislative session, March 13th.

Arts & Culture

NPR

China Builds Museums ... But Will The Visitors Come?

China is on a spree to build world-class museums and has opened about 100 of them annually in recent years. Two of the biggest opened on the same day last fall on opposite banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River. But filling these museums — with both art and visitors — is proving more challenging.

Food

NPR

African Cities Test The Limits Of Living With Livestock

Hipsters may just be discovering the joys of backyard chickens, but in African megacities, people have been bringing their animals into the slums with them for decades. That's creating a new ecosystem of animals and huge numbers of people living closely together like never before.

Politics

NPR

Oklahoma's GOP Senators Find Themselves In Tornado Aid Bind

Sens. Tom Coburn and James Inhofe have become the faces of pushback on federal emergency spending. Now the deadly and devastating tornado in their home state has put them in an awkward position.

Technology

NPR

Vertical 'Pinkhouses:' The Future Of Urban Farming?

Architects have come up with spectacular concepts for vertical farms that would grow crops in city skyscrapers. But many horticulturists think the future of vertical farming isn't in skyscrapers but rather, in large, indoor warehouses lit up magenta by super-efficient LEDs.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.