ODS opens new dental clinic in Salem

PORTLAND, OR (December 6, 2013) – ODS is very pleased to announce that we’ve opened a new dental clinic in Salem. The name of the clinic is Arrow Dental, and it is located at 1880 NE Lancaster Drive. The clinic officially began seeing patients on November 7, 2013.

Dr. Janet Peterson has been hired to head up the practice, which will primarily serve Medicaid patients. With Medicaid eligibility expanding in January 2014, all members – including those currently on the ODS Standard plan – will have Plus plan benefits.

The Oregon Health Authority estimates that under the 2014 expansion, over 136,000 people will be newly eligible for Medicaid dental coverage in Oregon. Approximately 15,000 of them are in Marion and Polk counties. It is anticipated that there will be a huge amount of care needed in the Salem area, as many of the newly eligible members have not had dental benefits for many years.

To prepare for this expansion, ODS has been evaluating our Medicaid networks throughout the state to provide adequate dental care for additional Medicaid members. Because there is not an adequate network of dentists currently in Salem and its surrounding counties, we opened Arrow Dental to help ensure all new members have access to dental care.

ODS administers the dental Medicaid benefit in Marion and Polk counties on behalf of Willamette Valley Health Care, a Coordinated Care Organization (CCO).