Two New Health Services Increase Convenience of Care for Students and Employees
The health and wellbeing of the campus community is a high priority for the University of Massachusetts Boston.
In the past year, University Health Services (UHS) has introduced two new services – dental and optometry services – that are available to students and employees.
Optometry Services
In September 2024, UHS announced the beginning of mobile optometry clinics in partnership with 20/20 Onsite, the leader in mobile optometry. Clinics will be held at the Clark Gym Traffic Circle twice per semester and are available to all students, staff and faculty. It takes just 30 minutes for 20/20 Onsite to provide a comprehensive eye exam and to allow patients to shop a collection of over 300 styles of glasses. This fall, 70 UMass Boston students and employees will receive optometry exams at the clinics.
Appointments can be booked online. Most insurance plans are accepted.
Dental Services
UHS recently introduced a collaboration with FlossTime, a mobile dental provider. During the fall and spring semesters, FlossTime clinicians are on campus the first week of each month to provide dental cleanings, dental exams, mobile x-rays, Invisalign scanning, teeth whitening, and wisdom teeth removal to UMass Boston students, staff and faculty. FlossTime helps offers a convenient solution to UMass Boston students by eliminating travel and other inconveniences that typically come with attending a routine dental appointment. Appointments can be booked online.
The inaugural clinic was held in the first week of December 2023, and was conveniently located at the UHS General Medicine clinic on the second floor of the Quinn Administration building. In its first year of operation, the dental clinics served more than 750 students. For about 200 of these students, it was their first time ever receiving dental care. Many other students had previously delayed dental care – sometimes living with chronic pain - as a result of wait times at area dental clinics. FlossTime accepts Mass Health insurance and other major dental insurances
UHS Executive Director Rob Pomales highlighted the importance of the FlossTime relationship: “The UHS FlossTime dental clinic has made high quality dental care conveniently available to students – a group that tends to neglect dental care and often suffer from harmful consequences. The most impactful benefit has been our participation in MassHealth (Medicaid). Students who rely on Medicaid for dental coverage—currently over 3,100—face barriers to care in their communities given the scarcity of providers, long wait times, and cost. We break down these obstacles by offering a full range of dental services—including preventative care, cleanings, fillings, extractions, and more—at no out-of-pocket cost to them.”