Our clinic in the News - latest publications

The News Virginian - 09/16/24 by Bob Stuart

Augusta Regional Dental Clinic celebrates $600k upgrade

WHSV 3 - 09/12/2024 by Mike Staley

Augusta Regional Dental Clinic completes new renovations, helps ease care costs

FISHERSVILLE, Va. (WHSV) - The Augusta Regional Dental Clinic (ARDC) — in partnership with the Delta Dental Foundation of Virginia — completed renovations to help them serve 8,000 new patients.

A smile is one of the first things people notice when meeting them. For people with lower incomes, dental care can fall low on the list of priorities in favor of basic necessities. ARDC helps people access dental care and avoid problems down the such as cavities or preventable oral diseases.

“Affordability is really the issue — everybody is having trouble of making ends meet these days ... Oral health usually does not get enough income from families, and they are not able to afford their premiums, their care,” Sophie Parson, executive director of ARDC, said. “We’re trying to bring that affordability back in the game in our dental clinic.”

The News Virginian - 05/17/2024 by Bob Stuart

Augusta Regional Dental Clinic to provide access to virtual therapists for mental health

The Augusta Regional Dental Clinic in Fishersville is among 22 free and charitable clinics now participating in a Virginia program that offers free and virtual telemental health services to eligible uninsured or under-insured Virginians. (…)

The Augusta Regional Dental Clinic provides dental care to thousands of patients annually in Waynesboro, Staunton, and Augusta County. However, executive director Sophie Parson said the clinic has a broader mission. She said Augusta Regional Dental “is looking to do everything” for the well-being of its patients.

“Once patients are in the (dental) chair, they open up about divorce and grief. Now we can have a solution,” Parson said.

WHSV - 11/23/2023 by Mike Staley

Healthcare grant allows regional dental clinic to provide more coverage

FISHERSVILLE, Va. (WHSV) - The Augusta Regional Dental Clinic received a $75,000 grant to keep one of its staff members on board.

After graduating from dental school, Dr. Lee at the clinic jumped into work immediately through a grant-funded position, helping the clinic provide more affordable services to clients in the Augusta County area. Sophie Parsons, executive director of the clinic, said Dr. Lee has already had a substantial impact on the community and has done more than just be an extra set of hands. ”The impact we’re seeing, it’s been a game-changer. We’ve been able to accept close to 500 new patients this year. Dr. Lee is more than just an extra pair of hands,” Parsons said.

The News Virginian - 07/16/2023 by Bob Stuart

Healthcare grant allows regional dental clinic to provide more coverage

A $100,000 grant from the foundation allowed the Fishersville clinic to hire Lee, a VCU Dental School graduate, a year ago. She recently celebrated her one-thousandth patient encounter at the clinic, which offers treatment to underserved patients in Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County.

“This has been a great experience, a dream job,” said Lee, a Northern Virginia native. She said her training at VCU improved her care of patients. Third and fourth-year dental patients get practical training in patient treatment.

The News Leader - 05/05/2023 by Brad Zinn

'Battle of the Bands' slated for Saturday at Basic City Beer Co.

WAYNESBORO — The second annual "Battle of the Bands" will be held Saturday, May 6, at the Basic City Beer Co., a press release said. The free benefit concert for the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic will include four local bands: Little Marvin and the Martians, Soulcry, The Goodson Band and Glass Betty.

WHSV - 05/05/2023 by Mike Staley

Augusta County dental clinic offers price reduced appointments without insurance

AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) - The Augusta Regional Dental Clinic offers dental appointments with a $35 co-pay to children and adults without insurance. Sophie Parson, executive director of the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic, said that there are over 35,000 people in the Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro areas who are without health insurance. The goal of the clinic is to provide the care to everybody who needs it.

The News Virginian - 05/10/2023 by Bob Stuart

Del. Chris Runion visits Augusta Regional Dental Clinic

The Augusta Regional Dental Clinic serves nearly 5,000 patients annually and is in the middle of House District 25 Del. Chris Runion’s district.

Runion, R-Rockingham, spent an hour Thursday touring the Fishersville clinic, meeting dentists, front office workers and other staff. The clinic serves patients in Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County.

The News Virginian - 09/28/22 by Bob Stuart

Augusta Regional Dental Clinic gets $100,000 grant to reach more low-income residents

Augusta Health’s community health needs assessment released earlier this year offered an overall picture of the health and health needs of Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County residents.

One troubling statistic among many in the assessment was that 65 percent of the region’s low income population had not seen a dentist in the past 12 months. Untreated dental problems can lead to infection, loss of teeth and affect vital organs such as the heart.

But a $100,000 grant obtained by the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic in Fishersville from the Virginia Healthcare Foundation will allow the clinic to reach nearly a thousand more low-income residents by June of next year. The grant will pay for a part of the salary for a new full-time dentist at the clinic.

WHSV - 09/22/22 by Kayla Brooks

Augusta Regional Dental Clinic brings in new staff with state grant

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - According to the Augusta Health Community Needs Assessment, about 65% of low-income residents of the Augusta County area have not visited the dentist in the past 12 months.

For some, going to the dentist creates great anxiety. For others, it’s the cost.

Low-income Valley residents struggle to find affordable dental care options. Now, with a $100,000 grant from the Virginia Healthcare Foundation, they’re able to bring in another doctor and more staff to get patients in their doors more quickly.

The Virginian Pilot - 05/03/22 by Ian Munro

As demand for dental care skyrockets, Medicaid providers struggle to find an empty chair

The dental clinic buzzed with activity Friday afternoon.

The Augusta Regional Dental Clinic in Fishersville, like many others that serve Medicaid customers across Virginia, has been very busy for months — especially as more and more have learned about the expanded benefits for adults, according to Sophie Parson, director of the clinic.

The need for services is so great, people have called the clinic trying to get an appointment from Louisa County, roughly 60 miles away.

On July 1, Medicaid began covering more dental procedures as a result of Virginia’s decision to expand Medicaid eligibility during former Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration. “But there is nobody to deliver,” Parson said. (…)

The News Virginian - 11/29/21 by Jordan Simal

Augusta Regional Dental Clinic looks to give back to Valley's kids for Giving Tuesday

The Augusta Regional Dental Clinic (ARDC) is set to celebrate Giving Tuesday on November 30 by providing free dental examinations to 650 local children in various schools located throughout Waynesboro, Augusta County and Staunton. The goal is to raise $6,500 and assist the kids by June 2022.

Held on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday has encouraged people worldwide since 2012 to give to, celebrate, and work with their favorite nonprofit organizations on a mission to “inspire generosity” both in local communities and ….

CBS 19 News - 09/26/21 by Carly Haynes

Augusta County offers free dental care for uninsured patients

FISHERSVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- A free dental clinic out of Augusta County on Saturday gave people something to smile about.

The ARDC put on a "Dentalpalooza," where volunteers from different dental practices around the region came together to offer free dental care and exams for patients who can't afford dental insurance.

"The need is huge. We are the only place within a 30-to-40-mile radius that offers affordable dental care options," said Sophie Parson, the executive director of the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic.