St. Mary's County staff highlights Greater Baden dental clinic as step toward expanding local medical access

At a recent St. Mary's County meeting, a county staff member said the Greater Baden clinic will add dental services to address gaps in local access to care and recounted a fatality tied to an untreated dental infection that underscored the need.

The staff member said they were “privileged to attend the Greater Baden ribbon cutting at that very, very needed facility for this county,” and added that the clinic is planning to open a dental care facility. The official described the lack of routine medical and dental access in parts of the county and noted a story told at the event: “A young man died because he had had a toothache and his parents didn't know what to do about it. They didn't have medical coverage and the tooth eventually abscessed and became a very serious problem,” the staff member said.

The staff member said the Greater Baden site fills a local need and predicted the organization may expand services across the county in coming years. “I have a strong feeling that in a few years, we're gonna be looking at Baden, expanding their services even more, in that location and throughout the county because they are serving a tremendous need that we have here in this county,” the staff member said.

The speaker also reported attending community events and milestones: serving as the keynote speaker at King's Christian Academy's graduation for a class of 13 and noting that about 10 students received scholarships from 48 different colleges, and that one graduate received several large scholarships. The staff member encouraged residents to support local farmers markets as the season warms and reminded listeners that Juneteenth will be held at the county fairgrounds this year.

No formal motions, votes or official policy directions were announced during this report; the remarks were delivered as a brief informational update from county staff.