EXCERPT:
REPORTER: "Who would pay for the dental care for the unhoused?"
BASS: "So, when I say comprehensive healthcare, it’s actually what people can get from Medi-Cal. The problem is that the linkage isn’t made with the people and the services, and so — "
REPORTER: "So it would be taxpayers?"
BASS: "Well, we already pay for it. It’s already paid for. It’s the linkage that hasn’t happened because — "
REPORTER: "The reaction to that, though, was, 'Why isn’t the mayor doing more to address the meth use in the first place?' What are you doing to address the drug use so we don’t have pay for dental care?"
BASS: "Yes! And let me just — one hundred percent. Let me just tell you that when I came in, we started, even though it is not the city’s role to provide health, it is the county, that was not enough for me. I said, we have to provide it ourselves, so we took lawsuit money from tobacco and we established contracts with drug-related organizations, substance abuse organizations, and so some of those people we can refer to a drug treatment program. The issue with dental is, is that you want people to be productive.