RUSVHILLE, Ill. (WGEM) – Progress continues on a new dentist’s office in Schuyler County. Called Schuyler Dental, the near $4 million project is being funded by an anonymous donor.
Schuyler Dental is under the umbrella of the Schuyler County Mental Health Association. The community broke ground on the facility last July. The association’s executive director, Reggie Stambaugh, told WGEM News that construction is on track for completion in June, with the office being open for patients in July.
Dr. Amit Kumar, the facility’s dentist, is helping train his staff for that day. Schuyler Dental employees are currently working out of a building directly across from the construction site on South Liberty Street.
“Coming over the next few months as new team members join, we’re going to be doing mock-patient exams,” Kumar said. “Having pretend patients come through and running through that process, seeing what it looks like. Being able to to take X-rays on them and really getting an understanding of what the day-to-day flow is going to look like when we open.”
Kumar called the process of building a facility and its team a “learning experience.”
He said Schuyler Dental will have an in-house membership plan and is currently reaching out to local employers to maximize their benefits.
Kumar said Schuyler Dental is approaching 200 patients, with six to eight new people signing up per day. Kumar and his wife moved to the area from Galesburg. He’s impressed by the community support.
“I can’t tell you the number of times I stop by, have lunch, and somebody will approach and say ‘Are you the new dentist, where do I get signed up,’ ” Kumar said.
Kumar emphasized Schuyler Dental isn’t a Medicaid office, and accepts all patients.
Office Manager Brandy Spear believes it will fill a gap in the community.
“People have had to travel to Springfield, Macomb, over to Beardstown, just to get dental treatment done instead of having something local for themselves,“ Spears said.
Spears has worked in dentistry for nearly two decades. She said her previous employer was based in Springfield and used to have a Schuyler County office but moved.
“We are able to make them dentures in office instead of having to make several appointments to different places,” she said. “They’ll be able to do everything in one place.”
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