Delta Health Alliance is starting construction on a center in Leland that will offer dentistry and occupational, physical and speech therapy – with options for those who are uninsured or underinsured.

Groundbreaking was held Thursday for Delta Cares Center. It will be a $10 million addition to the comprehensive Leland Medical Clinic that has served the region since 2013. 

The expansion is made possible by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to Delta Health Alliance, a nonprofit organization that works to improve access to health services in the mostly rural, impoverished part of the state. 

The decision to focus the new center on rehabilitative therapies and dentistry was born from the need providers saw in the main clinic, said Karen Matthews, CEO of Delta Health Alliance. 

“Dentistry is just very hard to come by in the Delta for our population,” Matthews said. “And people desperately needed it. Also with physical, occupational and speech therapy – it’s very hard to come by. And when people can get it, the wait is just extremely long.”

While construction of the new building will take approximately a year, Matthews said patients can make dental appointments immediately to be seen in the clinic’s mobile van. 

A sliding fee scale is available to people whose income is less than about $31,000 annually for one person or $53,000 for a family of three – below 200% of the federal poverty level. Fees start as low as $3.

That’s available for patients who are uninsured, as well as those who have what many call “junk” insurance plans, said Hilary Meier, head of Leland Medical Clinic. 

“Anybody can apply for the sliding fee scale, even if you have insurance, because a lot of people have really high deductibles or co-pays,” Meier said. “If they qualify then they can be in that sliding fee scale for any of the services we provide at the clinic.”

In addition to flexible cost options, the clinic also offers free transportation to those who need it with a van that picks up patients up to 45 minutes away. That service will also be available for the new Delta Cares Center. 

“Our mission for Leland Medical Clinic is to be able to serve everyone in the community regardless of their ability to pay or not, and to be able to offer high-quality services to everyone,” Meier said. “So that will expand into this new building, as well, and with the additional services that we’re going to be able to offer our community.”