WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – St. Mary Health Center is the only health center in Wilmington that proves free emergency dental services to low-income patients, but they could be closing their doors soon.
Executive director Laura Vinson says she feels blindsided after the basilica where the St. Mary Health Center has called home for decades told them to leave.
Vinson says the basilica sent them a letter in April, saying “We need you to make arrangements to relocate and leave our premises, and “We have need of the rooms we have let the Dental Clinic use these many years.”
Vinson says the church told them if they bought an insurance plan, they could have more time to find a new location. Despite doing that, Vinson says they’ve still been asked to leave by July 1.
“We had been deceived into thinking that there was a plan to help us stay here until we could get another space secured,” Vinson said.
Kathy Smith has been volunteering at the center for a decade and finds the situation hard to believe.
“It’s just so shocking to think that they would want us to leave when we’re doing such good work,” Smith said.
Smith says they’re the only center of its kind in the area and patients are unsure about where they’ll be able to go next.
“They have a lot of questions. They have a lot of fears. They’re concerned that they’re not going to get the care that they are so used to,” Smith said.
Smith says this will not only impact patients and volunteers, but also the medical and dental students who work at the center.
Vinson says the basilica has had a reputation for outreach work in the community over the decades and says it’s disappointing to see those services are no longer appreciated.
“It’s a really sad way to end what we do,” Vinson said.
Despite repeated attempts to get in contact with the Basilica and Diocese of Raleigh to get their side of the story, we have not heard back.
Vinson tells me they’re in the process of finding a new location, and if you have an available property that could be a good fit, to please reach out to them.
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