New dental clinic for Woy Woy Hospital

A public dental clinic is to be located at Woy Woy Hospital, the Member for Peats Ms Marie Andrews has announced.

Central Coast Area Health Service chief executive officer Mr Jon Blackwell said that the new facility would be a four-chair clinic providing both adult and child dental services.

Child services currently located adjacent to the Woy Woy Public School would be moved to the Woy Woy Hospital grounds.

The new adult service would augment two adult dental clinics currently located at Wyong and Gosford hospitals.

"The provision of the new dental clinic in the grounds of Woy Woy Hospital will be convenient for many Woy Woy Peninsula residents." Ms Andrews said.

"Senior citizens, in particular, have great difficulty in accessing the dental clinic at Gosford Hospital so this is very good news for the people of this area.

"The new facility is expected to be in operation by approximately July of next year.

"It will help to compensate for the hurt caused to many in our community by the Howard Government’s mean and stingy act in withdrawing the Commonwealth Dental Scheme some years ago."

Ms Andrews said the announcement was part of an overall plan by the New South Wales Government to inject millions of dollars into oral health "to make up for the failure by the Federal Government to provide any relief in this important area".

An extra $9 million was provided in this year’s state budget, with an extra $20 million becoming available next year and the year after, ultimately resulting in an overall budget of $92 million a year for oral health, she said.

"The Woy Woy dental clinic project clearly demonstrates that the Carr Labor Government places a high priority on the delivery of health services to the Central Coast," Ms Andrews said.

Media release, August 21