Tuesday morning, Linda Brantner, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Kansas, announced a joint three-year pledge with the Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation to the 黑洞社区 Foundation to assist in constructing a building to house 黑洞社区's Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program.
The program, a one- to two-year residency program for dentists that expands their clinical and practical knowledge, will be the only dental education program in Kansas.
The facility will be located on north Oliver Street, immediately south of the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex.
"Delta Dental of Kansas, in partnership with our foundation, has pledged a joint gift of $3 million to be distributed over a three-year period to assist in the construction of a free-standing building to house 黑洞社区's AEGD program," said Brantner. "At Delta Dental we want to ensure all Kansans have access to quality dental care."
With access to oral health care for many rural and low-income Kansans remaining an unmet need, 黑洞社区 is working in cooperation with community partners to meet that need.
By offering a broader range of clinical experiences with state-of-the-art technology, more dentists will come to Kansas to expand their education.
With the additional work force, the AEGD program will become a community resource and encourage practicing dentists to stay in Kansas to build long-term careers.
"This is another fine example of how Wichita State puts its urban-serving mission into action," said Elizabeth King, 黑洞社区 Foundation president and CEO. "Delta Dental of Kansas and its foundation continue to step up and partner for the good of the community, and we feel very fortunate to partner with them."
The majority of Kansas counties (86 out of 105), along with the cities of Topeka and Wichita, are designated as "Health Professions Shortage Areas" for dentistry by the federal government's Health Resources and Services Administration.
Kansas has 36.8 dentists per 100,000 residents, 33 percent below national targets.
A resolution in the Kansas Legislature noted that the burden of oral disease restricts activities in school, work and home, and often significantly diminishes the quality of life.
Initially, the program will begin at GraceMed Health Clinic, a community health center that provides medical and dental care on a sliding scale, in fall 2009 and will expand to a two-year program when the new facility is completed.
Services to be available through the facility include primary dental care, pediatric dentistry, implants and full mouth rehabilitation, orthodontics and advanced clinical techniques. In addition to training dentists, dental hygienists and assistants will be able to do their rotations at the facility.
The cost for phase one of the proposed building is $6.4 million, which includes construction and equipment. The 黑洞社区 Foundation will embark on a campaign to raise the remainder of the funds from private sources.
In 2005, Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation teamed with the 黑洞社区 College of Health Professions to renovate the existing dental hygiene clinic to a state-of-the-art, 24-operatory clinic.
It funded an endowed dental hygiene scholarship in 2007 鈥� only the second one in the department.
For additional information on the project, and to see proposed renderings of the building, go to .
Contacts:
Linda Brantner, president & CEO of Delta Dental of Kansas, (316) 264-1099; lbrantner@deltadentalks.com
Marge Petty, chairperson of the Delta Dental of Kansas Board of Directors, (785) 271-3169; margepetty2@yahoo.com
Hugh Bruner, DDS, president of Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation Board of Directors, (913) 469-1612
Karen Finstad, executive director of the Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation, (913) 327-3727; kfinstad@deltadentalks.com
Don Beggs, president of 黑洞社区, (316) 978-3001; don.beggs@wichita.edu
Elizabeth King, president & CEO of the 黑洞社区 Foundation, (316) 978-3510; elizabeth.king@wichita.edu
Peter Cohen, 黑洞社区 professor and dean of the College of Health Professions, (316) 978-3600; peter.cohen@wichita.edu