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Community Health Center

CHCA Merced

850 W Olive Ave, Merced, CA 95348-2427

209-761-0134 Directions

CHCA Merced is a community health center dental clinic in Merced, CA, operated by Community Health Centers of America, which runs 3 clinics in California.

The health center is open about 40 hours a week, though dental sessions are usually a subset of that.

Clinic Details

Address850 W Olive Ave, Merced, CA 95348
Phone209-761-0134
Operated byCommunity Health Centers of America
ProgramHealth Center Program look-alike

A look-alike meets every requirement of the federal Health Center Program — including the income-based sliding fee discount and seeing patients regardless of ability to pay — but does not receive the federal grant that funds the others. For you as a patient the discount works the same way; what differs is the funding behind it.

Planning Your Visit

850 W Olive Ave, Merced, CA 95348

The published number is 209-761-0134. It may be a shared scheduling line. Say which site you mean and that you want dental rather than medical, or you can be booked into the wrong queue.

Things to settle on the phone first: the dental hours, and which days appointments run, whether new dental patients are being taken, and the current wait, what a first visit costs, before and after any discount, whether your insurance or Medicaid dental plan is accepted, by plan name, and what to bring for the sliding fee application.

Dental Services

This clinic has not published a list of the treatments it provides. Expect the routine treatments to be available. The question worth asking is about the expensive ones: root canals, dentures and oral surgery are handled in house at some health centers and referred out at others.

Costs and Coverage

Charges are set against household income and household size rather than a fixed fee schedule. The bands are set by Community Health Centers of America rather than nationally, which is why prices differ between two clinics on the same scale. Ask them to run your household through it before you commit to a treatment plan. Our guide to applying for the discount lists the documents to bring.

No Medicaid registration has been recorded for this clinic, which is not the same as Medicaid being refused. What California Medicaid covers for adults is a state decision and has been cut and restored in several states; for children the benefit is required nationally. The Medicaid dental page covers how to check yours.

Dental Providers at This Clinic

Alongside general dentistry, providers registered in periodontics, for gum disease practice at this address. That is not the same as the clinic taking new patients for those treatments, or the discount covering them, so name the treatment when you call.

Common Questions

Is the building accessible if I use a wheelchair?

Federally supported facilities are subject to accessibility requirements, but the practical questions — whether the dental chair can be transferred to, whether the accessible entrance is the one you would arrive at — are worth asking directly rather than assuming from the front door.

Does California Medicaid cover adult dental work?

That is decided at state level and has changed more than once in most states, ranging from comprehensive to emergency extractions only. Dental coverage for children enrolled in Medicaid is a required benefit everywhere. Our Medicaid dental page covers how to check where your state stands now.

Is there help if I do not speak English?

Health centers are required to provide language assistance and most have interpreting available, in person or by phone. Say which language you need when you book rather than on the day, so an interpreter can be arranged for the appointment.

What if I need more work than I can afford?

Say that plainly at the start. A dentist who does not know the budget will quote the ideal plan. Told the constraint, they can usually say which item is urgent, which can wait a year, and where a cheaper option is clinically reasonable. Ask for the plan in writing so you can stage it.

I have private dental insurance. Is it worth using here?

Often yes, and the two combine: the clinic bills your plan and the discount applies to what is left. Ask whether they are in network for your plan, because out-of-network billing can leave you paying more than the discounted cash price.

What happens if I miss an appointment?

Missed dental appointments are taken seriously because the chair time cannot be reused, and repeated no-shows can affect whether you keep the slot. Call to cancel even at short notice; it costs you nothing and keeps you on the books.

Other Clinics Operated by Community Health Centers of America

Community Health Centers of America operates 2 other clinics in 2 other communities in California. Asking the scheduling line which site can see you soonest is usually faster than calling each in turn; the shortest wait is not always the closest clinic. The income assessment usually transfers between sites in the same organization, which saves repeating the paperwork. What is treated at one site is no guide to another, so confirm with the clinic you actually intend to visit.

Other Dental Clinics Nearby

Straight-line distances. The nearest clinic is not reliably the one that can see you soonest, so try a couple.

Confirmed Payment Options

Income-Based Fees

Call CHCA Merced

Confirm current dental services, appointment availability, costs and accepted insurance directly with the clinic.

209-761-0134

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Before you call

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