School of Dentistry, Rice Memorial Hospital Partner for Success

In 2005, Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar approached the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry for assistance in meeting the growing oral health needs of the area. The school partnered with the hospital to raise $2 million to construct a state-of-the-art 10-chair dental clinic within the hospital facility and to cover the first three years of operating costs. The clinic opened in December 2007 and is staffed year-round by School of Dentistry students who treat patients under faculty supervision. The partnership generated broad support from area dentists, foundations, the State of Minnesota, the University and community health organizations. Today, the Rice Regional Dental Clinic serves patients in a 17-county area. In just under six years of operation, the clinic has had 62,213 patient-visits from 16,300 patients.

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great job