05/05/2012

DeSmet clinic gets federal boost
Grant will pay for half of town's health, dental center
Argus Leader features John Mengenhausen of Horizon Health Care, Inc.

A small health care system based in Howard will be able to pay for half of a new health center dental clinic in De Smet after receiving a $1.04 million grant from the Affordable Health Care Act.

Horizon Health Care was awarded the grant in a competitive award process that gave grants to 100 applicants out of 450 nationwide. Horizon plans to use U.S. Department of Agriculture financing for the remainder of the project.

"In all honesty, I wasn't real optimistic," said Horizon CEO John Mengenhausen of the company's odds of winning the grant. "We're a small site, when it comes to the large community health centers across the country. We haven't really heard what made us stand out, but we're pretty glad we did."

The federally qualified centers offer health and dental care to people who otherwise could not afford it. Horizon operates 12 such health care centers and four dental clinics in rural South Dakota communities.

"There was close to $700,000 of sliding fee services we wrote off in De Smet last year," Mengenhausen said.

He said Horizon hopes to let bids on the new clinic in late July or early August and begin construction in September.

"We, hopefully, will be in the new facility by this time next year," he said.

It will take its place in a small medical campus at Wilder Pass and Prairie Avenue in De Smet, consisting of the hospital and two clinic buildings.

Dental services formerly were offered from two small exam rooms in the medical clinic building.

Horizon has one dentist, Dr. Alicia Adkins, and one dental hygienist working full time in De Smet.

"Working out of our current location really restricts the opportunity for us to see more patients," Adkins said. "Serving my community is very important to me, and in the new clinic we'll be able to provide patients with quality, timely dental care with an even higher level of service."

When the new clinic opens, Horizon might recruit a second dentist to De Smet, Mengenhausen said.

Written by Peter Harriman