Nanaimo’s low-cost dental clinic closes despite NDP touting increased funding
NANAIMO — A desperately needed low-cost dental clinic in Nanaimo remains closed, despite a promise of increased funding from the provincial government.
CODE Community Dental Clinic on Wallace St. closed its doors in mid-February because it ran out of operating funds. The shortfall came about due to a lower level of funding from Island Health, previously the main financial supporter of the non-profit operation.
“If CODE doesn’t exist, there are limited options for someone who has an emergency dental need,” said John McCormick, executive director of the Nanaimo Region John Howard Society which operates CODE. “NRGH does not have a dentist on staff…It means people are just being medicated and many of our clients, because they might be in addiction, are not going to be able to get pain relief from the hospital. It’s a real problem.”
Opened seven-years-ago, CODE is the only community dental clinic north of the Malahat and performs an average of 1,200 mainly emergency procedures each year. It offers services for typically about half of normal dental fees in B.C. and also provides people a pay-what-you-can model.