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| Outside of the new clinic |
The Rice Regional Dental Clinic in Willmar began accepting patients December 4 and a grand opening celebration to officially launch the new facility will be held Jan 24th in Willmar. Four students (on four-week rotations) and two dental hygiene students (on two-week rotations) staff the clinic under supervision of adjunct faculty member Robert Erickson.
Owned and operated by Rice Memorial Regional Hospital, the clinic has attracted significant attention from area media and lawmakers. Senator Amy Klobuchar visited the clinic in August and Senator Norm Coleman visited in November.
The dental clinic project has attracted $2.1 million in state, county, federal and corporate support to sustain the clinic through construction and the first three years of operation. Funders include the MDH, Minnesota Legislature, HRSA, University of Minnesota Academic Health Center, Delta Dental of Minnesota, Otto Bremer Foundation, and Rice Memorial Hospital.
Rice Memorial Hospital launched a successful nationwide search for a clinic director and has hired Dr. Robert Erickson, a 1974 alumnus of the School of Dentistry, who assumed directorship of the clinic on September 10th.
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