Community Dental Care receives $450,000 grant from Otto Bremer Trust
November 29, 2016
Community Dental Care receives significant grant to increase dental care access for thousands of people throughout Southeastern Minnesota
ROCHESTER, MINN. – Community Dental Care announced today it has received a $450,000 grant from Otto Bremer Trust to support construction of its new 18-operatory dental clinic in Rochester.
“Lack of access to oral health care for the populations we serve is a serious and growing problem,” said Dr. Vacharee Peterson, CEO of Community Dental Care. “We are so grateful for support from Otto Bremer Trust to increase dental care access and invest in building a dental home for thousands of people in need.”
“Community Dental Care is responding to an urgent need for oral health care in Rochester and surrounding communities,” said Daniel Reardon, co-CEO and trustee, Otto Bremer Trust. “We are very excited to move this important work forward.”
Community Dental Care currently has a small, 6-chair dental clinic in the Heintz Center on the Rochester Community and Technical College campus. Since opening in 2012 it has run two shifts daily to keep up with the demand. The new clinic will be located at 2120 US Highway 14 East in Rochester, on a public transportation route. While the current clinic is on target to serve 6,000 patients in 2016, with about 96% of them enrolled in Minnesota public programs or uninsured, the new clinic is expected to serve more than 10,000 unduplicated patients annually once it is fully staffed. The first phase of the clinic will open with 9 of the planned 18 dental operatories in September 2017.
In addition to general dental services, Community Dental Care will offer their nationally recognized community-based preventive education programs for children and parents, training for dental professional students, and will create 35 new, full-time professional jobs for local residents. The clinic will be the headquarters for oral health services and community oral health programs throughout Southeast Minnesota.
About Community Dental Care
Community Dental Care is one of the largest nonprofit dental clinics in Minnesota and is recognized by the Minnesota Department of Health as one of six successful models statewide providing dental services for underserved communities. Its mission is to ensure equal access to quality dental care and preventive education for all. They achieve this through clinical services, community preventive education programs, training of professionals, and advocacy. Founded by Drs. Vacharee and Andrew Peterson, the clinic was for-profit for 22 years before incorporating as a nonprofit in 2004. Today, they operate four clinics in St. Paul, Maplewood, Robbinsdale, and Rochester. In 2016, they will provide care for about 50,000 individual patients—92% low-income, 65% a racial/ethnic minority, and 47% children. For more information, visit: www.cdentc.org
ROCHESTER, MINN. – Community Dental Care announced today it has received a $450,000 grant from Otto Bremer Trust to support construction of its new 18-operatory dental clinic in Rochester.
“Lack of access to oral health care for the populations we serve is a serious and growing problem,” said Dr. Vacharee Peterson, CEO of Community Dental Care. “We are so grateful for support from Otto Bremer Trust to increase dental care access and invest in building a dental home for thousands of people in need.”
“Community Dental Care is responding to an urgent need for oral health care in Rochester and surrounding communities,” said Daniel Reardon, co-CEO and trustee, Otto Bremer Trust. “We are very excited to move this important work forward.”
Community Dental Care currently has a small, 6-chair dental clinic in the Heintz Center on the Rochester Community and Technical College campus. Since opening in 2012 it has run two shifts daily to keep up with the demand. The new clinic will be located at 2120 US Highway 14 East in Rochester, on a public transportation route. While the current clinic is on target to serve 6,000 patients in 2016, with about 96% of them enrolled in Minnesota public programs or uninsured, the new clinic is expected to serve more than 10,000 unduplicated patients annually once it is fully staffed. The first phase of the clinic will open with 9 of the planned 18 dental operatories in September 2017.
In addition to general dental services, Community Dental Care will offer their nationally recognized community-based preventive education programs for children and parents, training for dental professional students, and will create 35 new, full-time professional jobs for local residents. The clinic will be the headquarters for oral health services and community oral health programs throughout Southeast Minnesota.
About Community Dental Care
Community Dental Care is one of the largest nonprofit dental clinics in Minnesota and is recognized by the Minnesota Department of Health as one of six successful models statewide providing dental services for underserved communities. Its mission is to ensure equal access to quality dental care and preventive education for all. They achieve this through clinical services, community preventive education programs, training of professionals, and advocacy. Founded by Drs. Vacharee and Andrew Peterson, the clinic was for-profit for 22 years before incorporating as a nonprofit in 2004. Today, they operate four clinics in St. Paul, Maplewood, Robbinsdale, and Rochester. In 2016, they will provide care for about 50,000 individual patients—92% low-income, 65% a racial/ethnic minority, and 47% children. For more information, visit: www.cdentc.org
Contact:
Crystal Yang, Development Coordinator
crystalyang@cdentc.org, (651) 925-8400 x 1118
