Government “hoops” delay start of a new public dental clinic

One year has passed since Oconee’s Rosa Clark Medical Clinic shared in money that the federal government directed to states impacted by hurricanes. And, though it has been a year, memories are fresh from the hurricanes last year that caused great devastation, mostly in the lower part of South Carolina. Rosa Clark was approved for more than $330 thousand dollars in “CARE” grant money designated to ensure residents of hurricane states continue to have access to primary health care. In Rosa Clark’s case, the money is to be used to renovate Rosa Clark’s former S. Oak Street, Seneca location into a dental clinic that’ll operate on sliding scale fees. About why nothing visible has taken place in a year’s time, Vicki Thompson, executive director, said, “With the government we have a good many hoops to jump thru. There are all kinds of reports we have to have, including environmental reports.” There is, she says, some asbestos abatement that the contractor will undertake, and that could start next week. Thompson says the intent is to complement the Oconee Memorial Hospital’s five-year old dental clinic—especially on the days that the hospital clinic is idle. She is predicting that the new Rosa Clark Dental Clinic could be ready to serve the public in six months.