Willmar Hospital Board Votes to Develop U-M Dental Training Site

The Rice Regional Dental Clinic in Willmar, Minnesota, is one step closer to reality after a December 13th vote by the Rice Memorial Hospital Board to proceed with the development of a dental training site in partnership with the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry.   The 10-chair hospital-based dental clinic will provide service-learning experiences for dental and dental hygiene students, enhanced access to care for underserved and uninsured patients in the 12-county area, and interprofessional training opportunities for dental, medical, nursing and pharmacy students.  The clinic is expected to be operational as early as October, 2007.

Dean Patrick Lloyd and Dr. Paul Schulz, Director of Outreach for the School of Dentistry, told the Rice Memorial Hospital Board that the new dental clinic uniquely leverages public and private resources to support regional interests and needs.   Said Lloyd, “It will provide access to care for patients, establish a pipeline for attracting new dental practitioners to the area, and serve as a model for interprofessional education programs and health care.”

 The project has attracted state, federal and corporate financial support to sustain the clinic through construction and the first three years of operation.  A total of $2.1 million has been raised, including support from the Minnesota Department of Health, the 2006 legislative bonding bill and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), plus funding from the University of Minnesota, Delta Dental of Minnesota, Healthy Minnesota, and Rice Memorial Hospital, to name a few.