Commissioners approve second indigent dental program via MOA with Special Health Resources

Grey County Commissioners Court on Aug. 12 approved a memorandum of agreement between the county health department and Special Health Resources to establish a second dental program for the county indigent healthcare program.

Health department staff said the additional agreement responds to capacity limits at the county's existing partner, WellnessPoint. "We saw a need to start up another program because sometimes, often not, WellnessPoint can't get all our clients in," the health department representative said, asking the court to approve the MOA so clients could be referred to an additional provider.

The court approved the memorandum of agreement on a motion by Commissioner Craig with a second by Commissioner McKinney; the motion passed by voice vote.

Why it matters: The MOA expands the county's ability to refer indigent healthcare clients for dental care when the existing provider is at capacity. The agreement is intended to supplement—not replace—the county's existing agreement with WellnessPoint.

Details: County staff characterized the MOA as establishing a second dental access point for indigent-health clients. The meeting record does not include the MOA dollar value or detailed client-eligibility criteria; county staff were present to answer follow-up questions and indicated the MOA mirrors operational intent of the existing program.