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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 14, 2010
                    CONTACT:
Melanie Mowry Etters
Communications Director
(850) 488-4257

Agency Expands Dental Care during Disability Awareness Month

TALLAHASSEE, FL—Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) has partnered with a Miami dentist to provide much needed dental care to people with developmental disabilities in South Florida.

The Bay Harbor Complete Dentistry clinic’s grand opening will take place on October 25, with a ribbon-cutting and news conference at 11 a.m. A clinic open house will follow. The dental clinic is located at 1090 Kane Concourse (96th Street), Suite 204, in Bay Harbor Islands. Individuals with developmental disabilities who will use the clinic and their family members will be in attendance. October is Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Children and adults with developmental disabilities in Dade and Monroe counties who have been unable to find dental care will be able to use the clinic. APD eligible people, including those on the waiting list for waiver services, may receive cleanings, screenings, X-rays, and other specialized services at reduced cost or with financial assistance.

APD Director Jim DeBeaugrine said, “This is the agency’s second community clinic in the state to help people with developmental disabilities get the services they need. Dental care is a basic need, and APD is committed to looking for partnership opportunities, like this one with Dr. Tuman, to help those we serve. I am sure hundreds of people in South Florida will be happier and healthier because of this new initiative.”

The clinic owner and one of the dentists who will be providing these needed services, Dr. Jonathan Tuman, said, “This project of providing healthcare to individuals with developmental disabilities within the special needs community has been a dream of mine for many years. I am thrilled and honored to be part of this history making event.”

To make an appointment at the dental clinic, contact the APD Area 11 office in Miami at 305-349-1478.

The agency annually serves about 35,000 Floridians with developmental disabilities of mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and Prader-Willi syndrome. For more information on the agency, call 1-866-APD-CAREs or visit http://apdcares.org.