WAIKOLOA VILLAGE — White and bright didn’t only refer to clean teeth at West Hawaii Community Health Center’s new Waikoloa dental clinic Friday afternoon.
The shiny office sparkled as residents were given a tour of the new facility at Waikoloa Highlands Shopping Center during an open house to celebrate the clinic’s first week open.
Kahu Danny Akaka led a blessing ceremony that evening.
“The new four-chair dental center is a life-changer to the North Hawaii community, especially those with low-income who qualify for the sliding fee payment program,” Natasha Ala said, the clinic’s director of marketing, development & grants.
Plans for the new facility began in 2016. General dentistry is offered Monday through Wednesday, and pediatrics on Thursdays and Fridays. WHCHC’s new dental office is located next door to their medical center at the shopping center.
The Waikoloa dental clinic team is led by Drs. Steve Pine, Matthew Stewart and Kyoko Awamura, who treat patients from Waikoloa, Waimea and Kohala. They previously worked at the WHCHC dental offices in Kealakehe and Kealakekua.
The Waikoloa clinic accepts all forms of insurance, including Kaiser dental insurance. Depending on a person’s income and family size, they may qualify to receive service for a discounted nominal fee. Eligibility specialists at the office provide guidance through an application process.
“I would consider low income as anybody that’s uninsured or underinsured,” Dr. Pine said, who joined WHCHC in 2011. “There’s a great need in this area and all the way to Hamakua. There hasn’t been any dentist between Waimea and Kona until now.”
WHCHC clinics serve Native Hawaiians, Marshallese and immigrant communities scattered throughout the Waimea and Waikoloa area, he added.
“Providing access to oral health care is critical to the overall health care of our community,” West Hawaii Community Health Center’s CEO Richard Taaffe stated in a press release. “After a long process, we are very excited to open the doors to our newest dental center in Waikoloa. We look forward to welcoming the North Hawaii community to our dental services.”
Appointments for exams, cleaning and restorative services are available for adults and keiki.
“We are excited to finally have a dental team in Waikoloa to collaborate and work with Waikoloa medical and behavioral health team, thus completing our goal of providing integrated primary care for the people of Waikoloa,” Ala concluded.
Info: Call 331-6472 or email nala@westhawaiichc.org