WNCCHS Awarded Grant to Expand Urgent Dental Care in Buncombe County
Western North Carolina Community Health Services (WNCCHS) has received a multiyear grant of $667,673 from The Leon Levine Foundation to expand access to urgent dental care for people in Buncombe County.
The funding will support a new WNCCHS dental site in partnership with Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM). WNCCHS will provide urgent dental care three days a week using two dental exam rooms at ABCCM’s Medical Ministry Clinic, located at 155 Livingston St. in Asheville.
The new site will help address a growing need in the community. In western North Carolina, access to dental care is limited for many people, especially those who are uninsured or have low incomes.
Buncombe County is designated as a dental health professional shortage area, and like many community health centers in the region, WNCCHS’ dental clinic at Minnie Jones Health Center is at capacity. Dozens of patients are turned away each week due to limited appointments.
At the new location, WNCCHS expects to provide an additional 1,040 urgent dental visits in the first year and 1,440 in the second year. Care will focus primarily on extractions and other urgent needs, with the goal of connecting patients to ongoing, comprehensive dental care. Services will be available to all patients, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.
WNCCHS anticipates that many people served at this site would not otherwise have access to care. Expanding urgent dental services will also help increase access to routine and preventative care at the WNCCHS Minnie Jones Health Center site.
Patients seen at the new site can also be connected to other WNCCHS services, including primary care, behavioral health, prenatal care, pharmacy and care management. Oral health is closely linked to overall health, and untreated dental issues can contribute to serious conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and complications during pregnancy.
“Collaboration among safety net providers is critical to ensure access to care for those most vulnerable in our community,” said Anita Case, CEO of WNCCHS. “When health care and support service providers work together to address unmet needs, our whole community benefits.”
ABCCM will provide the clinical space and help connect patients through referrals from its free medical clinic.
“The need for dental care in our community is so vast,” said Daniel Frayne, M.D., director of ABCCM Medical Ministry. “This new partnership with WNCCHS expands that gap-filling role so much further. We are so grateful for this collaboration.”
WNCCHS expects the site to open in the summer of 2026.
WNCCHS is a nonprofit community health center that provides medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and supportive services for people across western North Carolina, regardless of ability to pay.
“WNCCHS, along with our partners in the western North Carolina safety net, provide life-saving care to those most in need,” Case said. “WNCCHS is committed to improving access to whole-person, comprehensive care for all people in need.”