Valley Health, St. Luke Partner to Provide Dental Care in Warren County

St. Luke Community Clinic in Front Royal is one of Valley Health’s mission critical partners. Through ongoing financial support from Valley Health, including a recent grant, St. Luke is able to carry out its mission of providing quality health care to low-income and underinsured individuals at reduced or no cost.

One such service that St. Luke offers is dental care. The clinic addresses basic dental needs and has recently begun making dentures for patients 18 and over. Officials had to hire a part-time dentist to help with the backlog of patients.

“The need for dental care is extremely high,” says Executive Director Vicki Davies. “This is one of the last things people who are low income and uninsured will take care of until the problem is so severe they need to go to the emergency room due to an abscess. A person cannot have good physical health without good oral health. There are many complications from poor dental health, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, and kidney disease.”

The dental clinic serves Warren County residents, and if openings permit, also provides care to Shenandoah, Clarke, Winchester and Frederick counties.

“Our mission is to provide quality health care services to the low income and uninsured,” Davies says. “With help from Valley Health, we are able to expand our dental program and not just limit it to our patients, but also extend it out to people throughout the Shenandoah Valley.”