PMS Recipient of Dental Award from HHS

SANTA FE -- Presbyterian Medical Services is one of four providers in New Mexico slated to receive funds from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. PMS will receive $524,999 of the more than $1.7 million to be distributed in the state. Other programs in New Mexico to receive funding are Clinica De Familia, Inc. in Las Cruces; La Clinica Del Norte Inc. in El Rito; and Pecos Valley Medical Center, Inc. in Pecos.

“Funding enables health centers to expand integrated oral health care services and increase the number of patients served,” HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said. With these awards from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), health centers across the country will increase their oral health service capacity by hiring approximately 1,600 new dentists, dental hygienists, assistants, aides, and technicians to treat nearly 785,000 new patients.

In all, $156 million in funding will go to support 420 health centers in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to increase access to integrated oral health care services and improve oral health outcomes for Health Center Program patients.

Oral health problems can be a sign of illness elsewhere in the body. Additionally, lack of access to preventive and routine dental care for underserved populations can result in dental conditions requiring more costly emergency dental treatment.

PMS currently provides dental services in nine communities in New Mexico: Questa, Espanola, Bernalillo, Cuba, Torreon, Farmington, Reserve, Estancia, and Artesia.

PMS has no relation to Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Presbyterian Hospitals or Presbyterian Healthplan.

To learn more about PMS, please visit pmsnm.org or call 505-982-5565 or Toll-Free 800-477-7633.