CARBONDALE, IL (WSIL) 鈥� It鈥檚 an issue Carbondale mayor Carolin Harvey wasn鈥檛 familiar with until she became immersed in the problem.
鈥淚t came up in one of our recent board meetings, which brought it to my attention,鈥� Harvey said.
Mayor Harvey is also on the board at Shawnee Health and she's talking about the need for more affordable pediatric dentistry.
鈥淭he things that we are lacking right now, number one, getting dentists, but the wait list for pediatric dentistry is, we're talking months, like six to 12 months for kids to get in for basic dental care,鈥� she explained.
Several weeks ago, Harvey had the chance to speak with Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, and when he asked the Mayor what was needed.
鈥淢y ask was for assistance with getting pediatric dentistry for the area,鈥� said the Mayor.
That response took Senator Durbin by surprise.
"When I mentioned it to him, he said, 鈥極h, no one's ever brought that to my attention before.鈥欌€�
And it鈥檚 a good thing she did.
鈥淚 said, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 your No.1 priority,鈥� and she said, 鈥淒entist for children,鈥� said the senior senator from Illinois.
With Harvey's position on the board, she knows the challenges parents face getting their child in to see a dentist and it's something Durbin has found out for himself.
鈥淚t鈥檚 almost impossible to find a dentist that will take a child from a poor family and it takes months and months to get an appointment and months longer for treatment,鈥� said Durbin.
Like Harvey before, Durbin wasn鈥檛 familiar with the issue. Then he started digging into it and found out Mayor Harvey was right.
鈥淲e can do much, much better,鈥� Durbin proclaimed.
Senator Durbin went on the Senate floor to speak on this issue and the importance of affordable pediatric dentistry. His solution is continued funding for the National Health Service Core.
"It provided a scholarship and loan repayment to dental, medical, and mental health providers who work in rural and urban areas of need,鈥� he noted.
And Mayor Harvey is hoping something can be done to help with this much-needed issue.
鈥淚t touches your heart,鈥� Imagine being [a] 6-year-old, and not only does that affect their physical health, but imagine that, you're ostracized at school or whatever. So it's just not a good thing.
Durbin says he has bi-partisan support to triple the funding for NHSC including co-sponsorship from Florida senator Marco Rubio.
