Community Health Center
NorthShore East Chicago
2121 E Columbus Dr, East Chicago, IN 46312-3197 5.6 miles away
Community Health Center
Community HealthNet Main
1021 W 5th Ave, Gary, IN 46402-1703
Community HealthNet Main is a community health center dental clinic in Gary, IN, operated by Community Healthnet.
The health center is open about 40 hours a week, though dental sessions are usually a subset of that.
Clinic Details
| Address | 1021 W 5th Ave, Gary, IN 46402 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 219-880-1190 |
| Operated by | Community Healthnet |
| Program | Health 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.
Dental Services
No service list has been published for this clinic, so the range here is worth asking about directly rather than assuming. The routine work — examinations, cleanings, X-rays, fillings, extractions — is normally available. Whether root canals, dentures and surgery are done on site is what differs from clinic to clinic.
Costs and Coverage
What you pay here is worked out from your household income and family size, not read off a price list. The scale belongs to Community Healthnet, not to a national schedule, so the only reliable figure is the one they give you. Ask for your band in writing before agreeing to a course of treatment. 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. Adult dental coverage under Indiana Medicaid is decided at state level and has changed more than once in most states; children’s dental coverage is required everywhere. The Medicaid dental page covers how to check yours.
Planning Your Visit
1021 W 5th Ave, Gary, IN 46402
The published number is 219-880-1190. Where an organization runs several sites this often lands at a central desk, so name the clinic and say the appointment is dental.
The call is worth making for: 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.
Common Questions
Is dental priced the same as medical here?
Not always. Dental is sometimes on its own fee schedule at the same clinic, and laboratory costs for a crown or denture are often billed on top of the discounted fee. Ask specifically about dental rather than assuming the medical answer applies.
What about cleanings and check-ups?
Preventive care is the cheapest thing a clinic like this does and the easiest to book, yet it is the first thing people drop when money is short. If you are already here for something else, ask to be put on the recall list while you are in the building.
Is anything done for anxiety?
Ask, because the answer changes what the visit costs. Talking it through, longer appointments and numbing gel before the injection are usually free; sedation is a billed extra and does not always fall inside the discount. Our guide to dental anxiety and what it costs covers what to ask for.
How long does the discount last?
A determination usually runs for a set period, often a year, and then has to be reapplied for with current income documents. If your circumstances change in between — a job lost, a household member moving out — ask for a reassessment rather than waiting.
What happens at a first appointment?
Usually an examination with X-rays, sometimes a cleaning, and normally no treatment beyond that — anything found is scheduled for a later visit. Those items are billed separately, which is where unexpected first-visit charges come from. Ask for a written treatment plan with itemized costs before agreeing to anything, so you can stage the work over time if you need to.
Can I get an itemized receipt?
Yes, and ask for one. You need it to claim from an HSA or FSA, to apply to a charitable program, and to get a second opinion on the same plan of work. A receipt that says only a total is not much use for any of those.
Other Clinics Operated by Community Healthnet
This is the only site Community Healthnet operates, which means a single waiting list with no sister clinic to try instead. The nearby clinics listed below are the alternative.
Other Dental Clinics Nearby
These are straight-line distances. Two clinics a mile apart can have very different waits, so it is worth calling both.
- NorthShore East Chicago — East Chicago, about 5.6 miles away
- NorthShore Dr. Fernando Rivera Dental Center — Lake Station, about 5.7 miles away
- NorthShore Merrillville Health Center — Merrillville, about 6.6 miles away
- 219 Health Network — East Chicago, about 6.6 miles away
Confirmed Payment Options
Income-Based Fees
Call Community HealthNet Main
Confirm current dental services, appointment availability, costs and accepted insurance directly with the clinic.
Nearby Affordable Dental Clinics
Community Health Center
NorthShore Dr. Fernando Rivera Dental Center
3099 Central Ave, Lake Station, IN 46405-2207 5.7 miles away
Community Health Center
NorthShore Merrillville Health Center
6091 Broadway, Merrillville, IN 46410-2619 6.6 miles away
Community Health Center
219 Health Network
100 W Chicago Ave, Suite F, East Chicago, IN 46312-3261 6.6 miles away
Before you call
