Medical experts identify senior citizens surviving on limited incomes as the social sector most vulnerable to dental woes that compromise their health and well-being.
For that reason a new dental clinic installed in Ajijic’s Centro de Salud is being specially geared to care for elderly patients.
The small oral health facility was inaugurated on Wednesday, December 17, with María del Sagrario Diáz, mother of Jalisco Governor Aristóteles Sandoval, on hand to help cut the ribbon.
Following the ceremony, Ajijic Town Administrator (Delegado) Hector España hosted a comida celebration at the waterfront park as a token of appreciation to the governor’s mother, government officials who turned up for the occasion and other project supporters.
The project arose last May as a joint initiative of Jalisco’s Ministry of Health (SSJ) and the community at large. Miguel Villaseñor Calvillo, SSJ supervisor of oral health, spearheaded the government’s role in the project, while España, his expat liaison Harry Bublin and fund-raising coordinator Tom Gladney took charge of getting locals on board to support the effort.
Díaz was named as the clinic’s godmother after she got involved a few months back, becoming an instrumental force in overcoming the inevitable delays related to government red tape.
The project entailed extensive remodeling at the health center to convert a storage room and small office space into a functional dental office. The state government invested 74,000 pesos to carry out the work. The SSJ will also provide the service of four dentists – including one who is fluent in English – as well as necessary dental tools and medical supplies.
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