San Diego County has approximately 15,000 people with special needs, many of whom are not being served. The new San Ysidro Health Care program, unique to the San Diego Region, makes a huge difference.

On Saturday, February 23, 2013, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the King-Chavez Health Center will hold its first Special Needs Dental Clinic Open House. The King-Chavez Health Center, which recently opened at 950 South Euclid, San Diego, is a 25,000 square foot state-of-the-art center that provides a health care home to all patients—one that serves as the first point of entry into the health care system—while also providing continuity of care over time, as well as emphasizing preventive care and coordinating care across various clinical services.

The Special Needs Adult Dental Clinic Open House invites patients registered with Regional Centers, families, and other caregivers to tour the dental facilities at the King-Chavez Health Center, meet dentists and staff members, and receive hygiene oral instruction.

“People with special needs in the area of oral health too often fall into a service gap,” said Ed Martinez, CEO of San Ysidro Health Center. “These are young adults who have aged out of service eligibility at Rady Children’s Hospital, people with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, heart problems, high blood pressure, and other health-related challenges that place them at high risk. Our mission is to introduce them to high-quality, accessible, and affordable dental care available through San Ysidro Health Center’s King-Chavez Health Center. Our vision is to serve as a key provider for children and adults with special needs.”

Martinez further noted that the special needs dentistry program is a partnership with A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health, which donated $200,000 to help staff and equip the dental department at the King-Chavez Health Center, with a dentist with extensive experience treating special needs patients. SYHC was very fortunate to recruit and hire Dr. Diana Zschaschel, a dentist with 15 years experience treating special needs patients in the Los Angeles area.

Dr. Diana Zschaschel, Special Needs Dentist at San Ysidro Health Center, noted, “The need for quality dental care for people with special needs is a nationwide challenge. In the San Diego County alone, we have approximately 15,000 people with special needs, many of whom are not being served. That’s why this program is so important and unique. San Ysidro Health Center is one of the few organizations in the region that is facing the problem head on and attempting to make a difference.”

Dr. Sergio Cuevas, SYHC’s dental director, noted that a patient with special needs can be defined as someone who has been diagnosed with a developmental disability that originates before the age of 18, constitutes a substantial handicap and is expected to continue throughout life, which requires changes in normal routines. In the context of dentistry and oral health, a patient with special needs requires a change in regular approaches to oral care in order to receive dental treatment. A patient with special needs is not, however, always severely physically and/or mentally disabled.

“Dental patients with special needs,” said Dr. Cuevas, “need the kind of special attention to dental health that requires a unique team of dentists and professional staff. This is what we offer at the King-Chavez Health Center.”