Lake County Free Clinic gets $100K for dental exam rooms

Aug. 17—United States Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH, recently announced that The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $100,000 in congressionally directed spending to help support a construction project at the Lake County Free Clinic.

The project, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, will allow two medical exam rooms to be converted into dental exam rooms. Additionally, the clinic will be able to meet the needs of the community by replacing broken and worn medical and dental equipment with new, durable pieces, officials noted.

Brown helped secure the funding by submitting it as a fiscal year 2022 congressionally directed spending request.

"My office and I regularly host and attend meetings with local leaders, because listening to the concerns facing communities across Ohio is the best way for me to do my job and serve Ohioans," Brown stated in a news release.

"We need to use every tool available to get resources to Ohio communities, like the Lake County Free Clinic, and that is what we did with these local priorities," he added. "The best ideas do not come out of Washington — they come from Ohioans who know better than anyone what their communities need."

Clinic Executive Director Martin Hiller said he and the staff remain most appreciative of Brown's support and work to ensure uninsured Northeast Ohioans have access to whole-person health care.

"This funding is an important part of renovating and equipping Lake County Free Clinic's new home on Chardon Street in Painesville, which we hope to be able to move into in the fall," Hiller added, noting the facility is the only no-cost clinic in the region.

"Not only will these funds allow us to soon welcome our patients and their families into a modern and up-to-date environment, reflecting the quality care they will receive, but this appropriation will help to solidify the clinic's ability to serve the community for many years to come."

Funding for the project comes from a package that President Joe Biden signed into law in March, the release stated.

Moreover, Brown and his office worked with local entities across Ohio to secure congressionally directed spending funding through the Senate Appropriations Committee, securing more than $100 million for projects throughout Ohio.

For more information about the Lake County Free Clinic, visit www.lakefreeclinic.org.