By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
An anonymous group of residents calling themselves the Carrboro Clinic Advocates has formed in opposition to the Orange County Board of Commissioners’ recent decision to close the county’s dental clinic in Carrboro.
According to an email from the Carrboro Clinic Advocates, the group has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice and N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper requesting that the government halt the closing of the Carrboro dental clinic until the clinic can be investigated for possible violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to the complaint, the county “is attempting to consolidate the Carrboro clinic to a location several cities away, making it virtually impossible for many disabled to access any services.â€
The county operates a dental clinic at Carr Mill Mall two days a week and one at the Whitted Human Services Center on West Tryon Street in Hillsborough three days a week. Under the approved plan, the Hillsborough dental clinic will serve patients five days a week when the Carrboro clinic closes.
County Manager Frank Clifton said he had not heard directly from the group yet, but that he believed the county was in compliance with regulations.
“The building down in Carrboro we don’t own, so if there’s any ADA infractions, that falls upon the owner of the building,†he said. “Secondly, there’s no regulation that requires the county to provide dental services to begin with.
“It’s an alternative service that the county provides because they think it’s worthwhile,†he added.
Last week, the board voted to approve plans for a $1.47-million renovation of the county’s health and dental clinics in Hillsborough. The commissioners voted in September to close the county dental clinic at Carr Mill Mall and consolidate dental services at the Hillsborough clinic, which county officials said would yield $113,000 in annual savings and provide increased access to care through extended operating hours. The renovation of the health and dental clinics will be funded with Medicaid Maximization and Dental Equipment capital project funds, which can only be used for programs that earned the funds by providing care to Medicaid patients.
Commissioners have stressed that they would like to develop a long-term plan for dental services that would include a clinic in the southern part of the county. Some have expressed concern that transportation to the clinic will prove difficult for residents from southern Orange County.
“We have to integrate the Chapel Hill transit with Orange County transit, not just for the dental clinic, but for a lot of other reasons,†board Chair Bernadette Pelissier said. “I think that the issue is a much larger one than just the switching of all the dental patients to the Hillsborough office for the time being.â€
County officials have said they plan to cover the $4 cost of a roundtrip on the 420 bus from Chapel Hill to Hillsborough for dental patients. The bus runs from UNC Hospitals to downtown Hillsborough, but its closest stop to the Whitted Building is about a half a mile away. However, Orange County transit officials plan to launch a new bus route in Hillsborough in February and are considering a Whitted Building stop.
According to county health director Rosemary Summers, Medicaid patients can arrange for transportation to and from dental and medical appointments through the Department of Social Services.
The clinic redesign, intended to meet county health and dental clinic needs for the next seven to 10 years, includes structural improvements to the building. If commissioners open bidding and award a bid in January, the project is estimated to be completed in June or July.