The Northern Valley Dental Health Coalition will receive a $240,000 Bush Foundation grant to start a public dental health clinic in downtown Grand Forks.
The Northern Valley Dental Alliance, which will serve Grand Forks and Polk counties, could open this summer in the former Deaconess Hospital building at 212 S. 4th St.
The program is designed as an oral health safety net, serving Medicaid recipients and their families, as well as the uninsured or underinsured.
The Bush Foundation approved the grant Tuesday. The grant will be paid over two years, $130,000 this year and $110,000 in 2008, according to Mary Bensman, Bush Foundation communications officer.
"We felt it was a very good project," she said Wednesday. "We were very impressed by the coalition that came together with an innovative solution to the problem of a lack of dental care."
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The grant solidifies the project, which has been in the works for about three years. It will enable the group to begin the process of designing, remodeling and equipping the first-floor clinic, which will be about 3,000 square feet.
"I'd really like to see us seeing our first patients sometime this summer," said Sharon Ericson, CEO of Valley Community Health Centers, based in Northwood, N.D.
Recruitment of dentists and staff also will begin within a few weeks. However, the clinic probably will not be able to start scheduling appointments until the late spring or early summer.
Bensman, who was part of the committee reviewing the application, said the project has several strengths:
-- It will be managed and administered by an established public healthcare facility, Valley Community Health Centers, with facilities in Northwood and Larimore, N.D.
-- Local dentists and dental students have expressed an interest in working with the clinic.
-- Dental supply vendors and other partners have pledged equipment and supplies.
-- Strong community support.
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"It addresses a severe lack of access to rural health," Bensman said.
The North Valley Dental Health Coalition is comprised of representatives of 44 different organizations in North Dakota and Minnesota.
"This has been the work of many, many people giving of their time and talents," Ericson said. "Now, it's our job to take all of this faith and turn this into a dental clinic that can serve so many deserving people."
Bonham reports on the region. Reach him at (701) 780-1269, (800) 477-6572 ext. 269 or kbonham@gfherald.com .
