Eastern Iowa Health Center to Expand Dental Care Access Through $500,000 Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation Grant

The Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation announced a $500,000 System and Capacity Building grant to Eastern Iowa Health Center (EIHC) to support the construction of an expanded EIHC Dental Center, enabling more Iowa patients to benefit from timely, quality, and accessible oral health care. Roughly two-thirds of EIHC oral health patients are covered by Medicaid, but the Eastern Iowa Dental Center (EIDC) has faced limits to enrolling new patients due to limited space at their current location.

This project will expand the clinic’s operating space from the current 2,995 square foot structure to 8,000 square feet, increasing operatories from 8 to 18 and annual patient visits from 9,115 to 22,500 when fully operational.

The Dental Center’s expanded facility will be adjacent to existing EIHC health services buildings, promoting integration of dental prevention and education within the medical practices, significantly increasing efficiencies across all lines of medical services.

“The expansion of this dental clinic will greatly benefit residents in this five-county service area. All patients, including patients covered by Medicaid, will have access to truly integrated dental and medical practices,” said Suzanne Heckenlaible, executive director, Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation. “This Foundation grant of $500,000 aligns perfectly with our funding strategy to create stronger ties between oral and overall health, as well as supporting our mission of increasing access to care for all Iowans.”

“Building a larger, integrated health campus focused on quality, compassionate health care for patients will promote health equity and help individuals understand the importance of oral health care to their overall well-being,” said Joe Lock, president and chief executive officer, Eastern Iowa Health Center. “Support from partners like Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation will allow EIHC to significantly increase our capacity to better meet the dental health needs and in-turn improve the overall health of members of our community.” 

The $500,000 grant from Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation is a catalyst for additional funding that EIHC will pursue from other public/private partners to fully fund the $3.25 million dental center expansion. To learn more about this project and how to contribute contact Jennifer Borcherding at jborcherding@eihc.co or 319.730.7343 or visit the Dental Health expansion webpage.

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