By Marion Filler
Military veteran Iris Cruz might have been the happiest person at Morristown’s Zufall Health Center on Friday.
“I love it here,” she said through her mask. “I got my smile back.”
Many more veterans may be smiling soon, too, thanks to VETsmile. It’s a pilot program designed to help veterans who cannot afford dental care, and all nine Zufall clinics across New Jersey are poised to assist.
Although veterans have always been welcomed at Zufall, many were not aware of the services.
“I simply can’t overstate the value that the VETsmile program will bring to the quality of life for thousand of veterans it will serve,” said Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11th Dist.), a Navy veteran who spoke at the Zufall ceremony announcing the rollout.
Veterans hospitals offer medical care, but dental care is limited to those with combat-related injuries. That only covers about 8 percent of veterans in the system, according to Sherrill. Many veterans who need dental care simply cannot afford it, she said.
Now, the Veterans Administration will refer them to Zufall, a big step towards expanding dental care.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11th Dist.) on the importance of dental care for veterans; video by Marion Filler for MorristownGreen.com:
Sherrill was joined at the VETsmile launch by representatives from the V.A., the American Dental Association, Delta Dental, and Rep. Josh Gottheimer’s (D-5th Dist.) office, as well as by veterans who already have benefited from the program.
Dr. Roshni Ghosh, executive director of the Center for Care and Patient Innovation (CCPI) that collaborates with VETsmiles, refers veterans to dental facilities in their own communities.
She explained that CCPI is on a five year trial run to prove its efficacy and cost efficiency. If successful, it will continue for another five years and, she hopes, become permanent.
“We are focused on creating a dental care network for all our veterans. We want to help all of them — and that’s nationwide,” Ghosh said.
“The model we’ve been able to create in New York and New Jersey working with universities and federally qualified health centers has been remarkable,” she said.
Participating providers include the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, the NYU College of Dentistry, Delta Dental and now, Zufall Health Centers.
“Thank you, Zufall, for trusting us,” said Ghosh.
THE RISE OF ‘LA CLINICA’
A tour of the center at the corner of Washington Street and Atno Avenue revealed a wing with four treatment rooms and a laboratory.
“Sometimes the medical issues are related to the fact that they (the veterans) don’t have any teeth or that they have painful teeth,” said Dr. Antonella Maietta, a dentist at Zufall in Morristown.
“That prevents them from eating certain foods or eating at all. It affects them systemically,” she said, emphasizing that dental hygiene and preventive care are essential to good health.
In 1990, after he retired his practice in urology, Dr. Robert Zufall and his wife Kathryn opened a small community clinic in Dover. She ran the office and he treated patients who were mostly poor and came from immigrant families. Their dedication encouraged volunteers to join and resulted in a team of physicians, dentists, and staff to run the facility.
Almost instantly, the once-a-week clinic attracted a patient base. However, despite private and public support, funding for “La Clinica” was a struggle. In 2004, its survival was assured by designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center and in 2006, was re-named to honor the Zufalls.
Thirty years have passed. The nonprofit health center has expanded to nine locations in seven counties and serves 40,000 people. About 20 percent of its funding comes from the federal government. The remainder is paid by patients, health insurance, and all-important grants and donations.
Now in his late 90s, Dr. Zufall resides in assisted living in Denville, and remains onf the center’s board.
“He was just Zooming with us last week. He’s very alert, very sharp and knows what’s going on with everything here,” said board Chairman William Shuler, who met the Zufalls when he was 12 years old.
