Public Employee Press: PEP Talk
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DC 37’s Manhattan Dental Center reopens
By MIKE LEE
“We strive to provide our members with the highest quality dental experience and will continue to grow with the ever-changing facets of dentistry to ensure our members are well taken care of.”
Hundreds of DC 37 members, leaders, and staff crowded outside the DC 37 Dental Center in lower Manhattan to celebrate the facility’s reopening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a tour of the extensively remodeled building. This building has served members’ dental needs for decades at its location on 115 Chambers St.
After closing in Oct. 2020 to undergo vast renovations, the center reopened on Nov. 15 to serve its first patients, who were in for a pleasant surprise when they arrived.
Entering through the freshly polished brass doors of the Dental Center and into the modern wood-paneled atrium, one appreciates the amount of intense, dedicated work accomplished in the year-long effort, particularly given this project began and completed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Offering dental services to our members and their families is one of the many reasons DC 37 stands out,” said DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido. “We believe our union is family and strive to deliver the best services possible. We are so proud to continue to improve upon the services we offer to our members.”
The changes to the center are transformative, beginning with the substantial structural changes made to the building’s interior. The previous four-story open space is now covered with wall-to-wall flooring to maximize space for services and administration.
With two floors dedicated to dental services and another to offices and a meeting room for staff, this significant change to the building’s interior design provides the necessary space to expand essential services for members.
Additionally, the basement, once used as a repository for decades of members’ dental records, was transformed into a fully equipped workspace for the Center’s support staff.
The most impactful change was the extensive investment the union made in updating the sophisticated equipment required to ensure members, dependents, and retirees receive the best in dental care.
“We strive to provide our members with the highest quality dental experience and will continue to grow with the ever-changing facets of dentistry to ensure our members are well taken care of,” said Jenneate Radix, Clinical Director of the DC 37 Dental Centers.
The center features a 30-chair facility that provides enhanced, state-of-the-art features, including digital radiographs, improved endodontic technology, and intraoral scanners, all to assure the best dental services ranging from preventive care to complex, extensive bridge and crown work.
“We are most pleased to deliver this high-quality dental experience with the help of our dedicated staff members who have been instrumental in the centers’ success over the years and have always taken great pride in the care of their fellow DC 37 members,” said DC 37 Dental Centers Administrator Devin Green-Harris.
The DC 37 Dental Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Members may schedule an appointment by calling 212.766.4440.
