2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26102952D

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 32

Offered January 23, 2026

Commending the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic.

—————

Patron—McLaughlin

—————

WHEREAS, for more than 22 years, the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic, has provided affordable, high-quality care to medically underserved residents of Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County; and

WHEREAS, the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic was established in September 1993 as the Augusta Regional Clinic to honor the legacy of the late Percy Wilson, a beloved pharmacist in downtown Staunton who touched countless lives through his generosity and genuine care for the community; and

WHEREAS, the Augusta Regional Clinic originally operated out of a shared space at a career center in Fishersville, then constructed a new building on Mule Academy Road to better serve its patients; and

WHEREAS, in 2020, after providing primary care for approximately 10,000 individuals, the Augusta Regional Clinic reestablished itself as the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic and refocused its mission on oral health care; and

WHEREAS, the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic currently serves Medicaid members and uninsured low-income residents of Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County with a volunteer staff of 25 dental professionals; and

WHEREAS, every year, the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic serves approximately 6,000 patients, including 2,000 children, through 13,000 appointments, including hundreds that would have otherwise been diverted to an emergency room at a local hospital; and

WHEREAS, the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic maintains a large-scale school program, which provides 1,200 underserved children with preventative dental care directly in their classroom every year at no cost; and

WHEREAS, in 2024, the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic became the first charitable clinic in the Commonwealth to be accredited as a Center for Inclusive Dentistry by the Virginia Department of Health; and

WHEREAS, the award recognized Augusta Regional Dental Clinic for its training procedures and special protocols for treating patients with developmental disabilities or chronic conditions in a safe, sensory- friendly, and dignified environment; and

WHEREAS, the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic is the only large-capacity charitable dental clinic in the area and has steadily expanded over the years to better accommodate new patients and uphold its high standards of care; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic hereby be commended for more than two decades of service providing life-changing oral health care to members of the community in Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Augusta Regional Dental Clinic as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the clinic's legacy of contributions to people in need.