From a filling to a regular check-up, Williamstown’s public housing residents received free dental treatment this week.
Williamstown residents received a visit as part of cohealth’s Community Connectors dental roadshow, which also stopped at high-rise estates in Carlton, North Melbourne and Fitzroy.
A recent cohealth survey highlighted that three quarters of people living in public housing did not know they were eligible for free dental care services.
cohealth community connector said one person she interviewed had to resort to over-the-counter pain relief medication because they believed they could not access public dental care.
“They knew the waiting list for dental treatment was incredibly long, so even if they had level-10 pain, they would just take a Panadol because they thought there’s no way they could get it fixed,” she said.
“Whether it was a slight problem or a very big problem, they were convinced that care was so out of reach, or that no clinic had time for them.”
According to the Australian Dental Association of Victoria, the current wait time for public dental services was 26 months.
cohealth acting chief executive Christopher Turner said community health services aimed to help bring healthcare services to individuals with the most significant boundaries.
“One of the cornerstones of cohealth’s model of care is that no client is ‘hard to reach’, but rather, institutions and services can be,” he said.
“Rather than expecting clients who face healthcare barriers to come to us, sometimes we achieve the best outcome by meeting them where they are and making sure the service meets their unique needs.
“Through the cohealth Community Connectors, we are bringing culturally safe, trauma-informed oral healthcare to people’s front door.”
Details: www.cohealth.org.au/service/active-connections-program
Matthew Sims
