Two bilingual dentists join staff at La Red Health Center

La Red Health Center is welcoming two new dentists to its team thanks to changes in Delaware’s licensure requirements, making dental care more accessible to Sussex County residents.

The new dentists, Patricia Flecha, DDS, and Loraine Cerejido-Marquez, DDS, will allow La Red Health Center to see more patients who are underserved in Sussex County. Both are bilingual, which enables La Red to offer culturally appropriate care to Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking patients in the community.

Flecha earned her doctor of dental medicine degree from Boston University and also holds a master of health administration degree from Pennsylvania State University. Cerejido-Marquez obtained her degree from the Higher Institute of Medical Sciences of Havana and brings more than 17 years of experience. La Red Health Center plans to onboard an additional dentist this winter.

Like other dental practices in Delaware, and particularly in Sussex County, La Red has struggled to recruit practitioners due to regulations requiring out-of-state dentists to take a practical test before the state’s dental board. According to the American Dental Association, Delaware is currently the only state in the nation to require such a test. The practical exam has deterred many dentists from moving into the state. Since Delaware does not have a dental school, all incoming dentists must take this exam.

Delaware is experiencing a shortage of dentists. A 2022 report by the Delaware Division of Public Health revealed that for every 3,414 Delaware residents, there is only one dentist.

La Red currently serves 2,778 patients at its dental practices in Georgetown and Milford. With the addition of two new dentists, the center expects to significantly increase the number of patients it can accommodate and substantially reduce wait times for new appointments.

“We are incredibly excited to add Dr. Flecha and Dr. Cerejido-Marquez to the La Red dental program,” said Rachel Hersh, La Red Health Center CEO-elect. “For many in Sussex County, La Red is their only access to dental care. The ability to bring on new dentists will allow us to provide care to those who need it most and have difficulty accessing it.”

The recruitment of Flecha and Cerejido-Marquez was made possible in part by recent changes to Delaware law, which had previously required out-of-state dentists to take a practical exam before the Delaware Dental Board.

In 2022, Sen. Sarah McBride, D-Wilmington, championed legislation that allows out-of-state dentists to receive community licenses if they practice at one of the state’s three federally qualified health centers for a designated number of hours over two years. After meeting this requirement, these dentists can become fully licensed in Delaware without taking the practical exam.

“That change in the law has made a world of difference for our ability to recruit dentists and for residents in Southern Delaware,” Hersh said. “We are fortunate that La Red Health Center can serve as a gateway to bring more dentists into Delaware to meet the growing needs of our state.”

La Red Health Center, a federally qualified health center in Sussex County, has provided quality healthcare to individuals and families since 2001. Committed to delivering the highest level of care, La Red offers primary healthcare, pediatrics, women’s health services, behavioral health services, and dental care at its three locations in Milford, Seaford and Georgetown. For more information, go to laredhealthcenter.org.