The Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation has awarded a $500,000 System and Capacity Building grant to Eastern Iowa Health Center (EIHC) to support the construction of an expanded EIHC Dental Center. The new dental center will enable 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 its current location.
This project will expand the clinic’s operating space from 2,995 square foot structure to 8,000 square feet, increasing operatories from eight 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.
“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.
The $500,000 grant 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.
