The Hall Neighborhood House in Bridgeport has received multiple grants totaling $250,000 to build a full-service dental clinic.
The Hall Neighborhood House on the East Side of Bridgeport is an anti-poverty agency that offers medical care and child care services to underserved families.
CEO Bob Dzurenda says the dental clinic will be the first of its kind in Bridgeport, offering everything from cleaning to sealants to fillings.
"A lot of our families are working single moms and if they take time off from work to bring a child to the dentist, they take off and don't get paid for that day," said Dzurenda.
Officials with Hall Neighborhood House say the latest $100,000 grant came from a philanthropic group of women known as Impact Fairfield County.
Along with OPTIMUS Health Care, the Hall Neighborhood House will use the $100,000 grant combined with grants from other agencies to start a full-service dental clinic for people of all ages, but they intend to focus service on the thousands of children who pass through their building every single year.
Children who attend the day care service at the Hall Neighborhood House will now have access to routine dental care that is critical for their development, officials say.
"We're really excited because it's really unique and it brings us closer to that best-in-class childcare," Dzurenda said.