FORT MYERS, Fla. — After 26 years of service, the free dental clinic in Fort Myers is closing its doors.
"It's been a really increasing challenge as far as keeping it fully funded," said Major Carlyle Gargis of the Salvation Army of Fort Myers, which operates the clinic.
He said that a funding shortfall forced them to choose between the dental clinic and other services, such as emergency shelter and food programs.
"When we have to begin pulling from those programs to keep (the dental clinic) going, we really have to take a hard look," Gargis said.
Esther Sales-Fuentes is one of approximately 900 patients served by the clinic in the past year. After once paying a dentist over $600 to extract a tooth, she said the free clinic has been a saving grace.
"They were a benefit to me I never thought I'd be able to obtain," she said. "I qualified because of a bit of low income for their services."
Sales-Fuentes said she was troubled to learn that the clinic was closing.
"The employees were quite upset themselves," she said. "But the employees and dentists were more concerned regarding the patients."
The Salvation Army is referring patients to another free dental program through the United Way, Project Dentist Care. Sales-Fuentes has an appointment with that clinic in September.
The Salvation Army clinic will continue taking care of patients who already had appointments scheduled.
A spokesman said that Family Health Centers, which uses a sliding scale for payment, is another affordable resource for low-income patients.
