ALLENTOWN, Pa. — More than a dozen Lehigh Valley families got another reason to smile Saturday at a free dental clinic in Allentown.
The Neighborhood Health Centers of the Lehigh Valley held its annual clinic in honor of National Children's Dental Health Month at its new location on Hamilton Street in Allentown, which opened late last year.
Saturday's free dental clinic is “just another example of us trying to remain committed to the community.”Melissa Miranda, CEO of Neighborhood Health Centers of the Lehigh Valley
About 20 kids were scheduled to receive services on Saturday, and walk-ins were welcome. A physician said the clinic saw “a flood” of patients in the morning and she expected another large group in the afternoon.
The dental clinic is meant to let “the community know we are here for them” at NHCLV, which also offers a wide array of medical, mental health and behavioral health services, she said.
Chief Executive Officer Melissa Miranda said the clinic is “just another example of us trying to remain committed to the community.”
'We really do count on' federal funding: CEO
The free dental clinic is one of the many community services that Neighborhood Health Centers of the Lehigh Valley provides to residents throughout the region, according to Miranda.
She said the health center served about 10,000 people last year — and aims to serve 14,000 in 2025.
The long-term prospects of its mission are less certain than they were a year ago, with President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk targeting deep cuts to federal funding through the Department of Government Efficiency.
NHCLV gets about $3 million each year in federal support, which represents about 30% of its budget.
“Our current health system does not have the capacity to handle” a huge surge in patients that could be caused by funding cuts at community health centers.Melissa Miranda, CEO of Neighborhood Health Centers of the Lehigh Valley
All of that money goes directly to services for residents and isn’t spent on buildings or special programs, she said.
The organization’s funding has “remained unchanged” except for a “brief freeze” after Trump moved last month to pause trillions in federal expenditures.
The organization has worked to reduce its reliance on federal funding, but “we really do count on that,” Miranda said.
NHCLV and other health centers would have to make significant cuts if federal funding is reduced or eliminated, she said.
That would force many more people to seek primary care services at emergency rooms and urgent-care facilities, which “are not appropriate for that level of care,” according to Miranda.
Wraparound care fills gaps in insurance
Many assume community health centers serve only poor people but they provide wraparound care for thousands of uninsured or underinsured residents, including people between jobs, entrepreneurs trying to launch companies and many from rural areas, she said.
“Our current health system does not have the capacity to handle” a huge surge in patients caused by funding cuts at community health centers, Miranda said.
She said she believes Trump’s administration and Congress will see the value in community health centers and preserve their funding.
Miranda noted a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers — including former U.S. Reps. Charlie Dent and Susan Wild and former Sen. Bob Casey — were “instrumental” in projects to launch and expand NHCLV.
