Dental reimbursement program - kings county hospital center outpatient HIV services continues to provide comprehensive medical and social support services to the community affected by HIV/aids

As the largest municipal hospital in the borough of brooklyn, H+H/ kings patient populations are largely minority, immigrant, poor, uninsured, homeless, and come from cultures that do not trust or encourage accessing healthcare. Brooklyn, with a population of 2.5 million, is the most densely inhabited borough in new york city. Racially and ethnically, brooklyn is very diverse as a borough that encompasses 96 different ethnic groups and hundreds of thousands of foreign-born residents. Nearly fifty percent of who are not naturalized citizens. 46% of our service area populations speak a language other than english. Nearly 20% of our neighborhoods are hispanic or latino, 36% is non-hispanic white, 32% is non-hispanic african american, and more than 10% is non-hispanic asian. Brooklyn's neighborhoods vary based on the distribution of races and ethnicities among their residents. The communities of bedford stuyvesant-crown heights, williamsburg-bushwick, east flatbush-flatbush, and east new york, for example, more than 85 percent of the residents are african-american or hispanic. By comparison, in greenpoint, bensonhurst - BAY ridge, and borough park, more than 50% of the residents are white. Sunset park has the highest percentage of asian residents at 29%. Brooklyn neighborhoods are grappling with high rates of HIV/aids and a healthcare delivery system that is, in many areas, ILL-equipped to address the needs of women infants, children and youth infected with HIV/aids. These neighborhoods are among the highest in need of services for women, infants, children and youth living with and at highest risk for HIV/aids, but among the lowest in availability and access to services for these vulnerable populations. The existing service delivery system is fragmented at best. There is a scarceness of a "one-stop- shopping patient-centered model of care" in brooklyn to address the populations living in the aforementioned communities. H+H/ kings is one of the few that offers a "one-stop-shop" for this vulnerable population. Dental care is often neglected until the need becomes absolutely necessary. The dental practice at H+H/ kings is a bustling center with a dedicated staff who work hard to provide quality care. All members of the community are welcomed and treated equally. The needs of the community members affected by HIV/ aids do not go unnoticed. The dental practice allows for an environment that is both comfortable and in tuned to the patient needs.