Detroit Dental Clinics Offer Accessible Care to People with Disabilities
Lindsay Knake
| 4 min read
Lindsay Knake is a brand journalist for Blue Cross B...
Two health clinics in Detroit are working to ensure everyone has access to oral health care.
Thanks to Disability Health Care Access and Quality grants from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the University of Michigan Center for Disability Health and Wellness, Corktown Health and Covenant Community Care are buying equipment and upgrading their facilities to ensure people with disabilities can get the dental care they need. Both health clinics serve under and uninsured people in Detroit.
Oral health care is an essential part of an individual’s overall health, and people with disabilities may have physical and sensory challenges that can affect their ability to access services. But the work the staff at Corktown and Covenant do ensures more people can live healthy lives.
Corktown Health
Corktown Heath is a primary care health center that focuses on providing high-quality healthcare to individuals and families in Detroit. The clinic also offers cleanings, fillings and basic dental services to help improve and restore the oral health of community members.
“We strive to treat people professionally and confidently without discrimination,” said Dr. Michele Bloxson, dental director of the oral health clinic at Corktown Health.
The small team sees 400 patients a year. The dental clinic opened in 2024, and Bloxson and her team are still working to let people know they are here to provide care. Dental care is the first step to overall physical health, Bloxson said.
“It lowers the opportunities and risks for inflammation and infection. It protects the heart, brain and lungs,” she said.
Too much bad bacteria in the mouth can lead to bacteria in the bloodstream, which can contribute to heart disease, higher risk of stroke, pneumonia and difficulty with blood sugar regulation. People who have tooth loss or pain can become malnourished and have digestive problems. Having broken teeth can also diminish a person’s self-confidence.
Offering disability-friendly dental practices is another key part of the Corktown dental clinic. Corktown Health is using the Disability Health Care Access and Quality grant for physical upgrades and staff training.
Accessible dental care includes things like:
- Wider doorways and a space that accommodates people in wheelchairs
- Different types of light sources and dimmer switches for people with sensory difficulties
- Noise reduction headphones
- Appliances for those with anxiety
- Prevention kits with adaptive toothbrushes
Accessibility also includes training staff to recognize nonverbal cues and skills to communicate with caregivers. They offer shorter appointments and breaks.
“These types of things help everyone overall. It’s important that you consider all of these things and care for everyone,” Bloxson said. “There are patients who have anxiety around the dentist and never go, but they are glad to find Corktown. They appreciate the services that we do and our kindness.”
Covenant Community Care
Covenant Community Care is a non-profit health center that serves more than 20,000 people a year in Metro Detroit. The clinic offers dental care, medical services, counseling and substance abuse treatment.
“Oral health is a mirror of someone's overall health. From diabetes, high blood pressure, heart health, and pregnancy, if their oral healthcare is neglected, all of their other systemic problems are exaggerated in a potentially devastating way,” said Dr. Catherine Piaskowski, dental residency director at Covenant Community Care. “We are getting them out of pain and preventing pain.”
Covenant serves many underserved people, including people with disabilities. The staff provide standard dental care, including extractions.
The clinic will use their grant to purchase equipment to help people with autism and disabilities to receive dental care. There are tools such as mouth props to keep someone’s mouth open, weight blankets to provide relaxation and headrests to provide stability. Covenant’s mobile clinic will also serve students at Detroit Public Schools Community District.
“We are here doing this work not because it’s easy, but because our faith requires it of us. We have been given so much, we want to give back to those who can’t repay us. It’s something our providers feel very strongly about,” Piaskowski said.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has a mission to increase access and enhance the quality of care for every Michiganian. Through the 20 years of the Strengthening the Safety Net grant program, we have invested more than $17 million into safety net clinics, improved patient outcomes and kept people from expensive emergency room visits, which lower health care costs for everyone. Blue Cross has reduced the number of unnecessary emergency room visits by 400,000 and saved the health care system $200 million by helping patients avoid unnecessary emergency room visits.
Learn more about how Blue Cross is making health care more affordable here.
Image: Getty Images
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