Prism Health North Texas (PHNTX) announced it will acquire the assets of Community Dental Care of Texas. The move will help expand the mission of both entities to create access to affordable healthcare for people living in the greater Dallas area.
Community Dental Care is a non-profit dentistry practice that works to close the gap in access to affordable dental care for North Texans of all ages.
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, more people are unable to afford dental care than any other type of healthcare. In 2015, the percentage of people in the United States with no dental insurance was 29 percent and 62 percent for older adults. Over 40 percent of low-income and non-Hispanic Black adults have untreated tooth decay. Among PHNTX’s current patients receiving medical care at one of its health centers, only 16 percent have evidence of at least an annual dental examination in the past year.
By integrating dental and medical care under a single community health organization, both important needs can be better resourced and managed. The organization will operate under the Prism Health North Texas brand, and the PHNTX Board of Directors will become the single managing board. The change will build PHNTX’s strategic vision towards improving health for more people throughout North Texas.
All services, locations, and staff currently operating with CDC will migrate to PHNTX.
Both organizations receive major funding from Ryan White grants. Both also receive unique funding which the organizations say will synergistically will form even greater support and resources for a wider variety of individuals in the greater Dallas area.
“CDC has an incredible legacy of providing critical dental care for so many people here in Dallas,” says Dr. John Carlo, CEO of PHNTX. “We look forward to continuing this important work and build together an even bigger safety net of healthcare services.”
Prism Health North Texas opened services in 1986 during the HIV/AIDS crisis in North Texas, through an initial grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Formed as AIDS Arms Network out of the Communities Foundation of Texas, PHNTX for the past 35 years has served the critical role of connecting people living with HIV to care and services in the area.
PHNTX evolved to be a nationally recognized leader in delivering high-quality HIV and sexual health services, most recently expanding services to address the alarming rise in sexually transmitted infections in Dallas County and North Texas. Roughly 30% of people living with HIV in North Texas receive medical care and support at one of the four health centers.