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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Flambeau Hospital has received a grant totaling $57,000 from Delta Dental of Wisconsin for oral surgery equipment related to services provided by Park Falls Dental Center.

Additionally, the Children’s Miracle Network has provided a grant of $3,000 to assist with pediatric oral surgery needs. These grants will allow patients to be seen locally for oral surgery procedures.

“In the past, patients needing oral surgery had to travel to Marshfield, Eau Claire or Chippewa Falls for that procedure,” said Jeffrey Luke, D.D.S., dentist and Dental Center chair. “With these grants, Marshfield Clinic Dental Division Oral Surgeon Ron Hager, D.D.S., will be performing the procedures in Park Falls. Procedures requiring an operating room setting with anesthesia will be able to use the operating rooms and professional staff at Flambeau Hospital.”

Access to dental care is a national and statewide problem, but for Park Falls and surrounding communities, that changed in 2008 with the opening of the Park Falls Dental Center. The need for dental access, including oral surgery, in the Price County and surrounding areas is significant. The statewide “Make Your Smile Count” survey reported that 46 percent of children screened in the Northern region had untreated tooth decay versus the statewide average of 31 percent.

Dennis Brown, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Wisconsin, echoed Luke’s concerns about the need to expand access to dental care and noted that Delta Dental’s support of the Park Falls Clinic is part of more than $5 million in grants the company has made in recent years to address the problem. Delta Dental, the state’s largest dental insurance company, provides financial support to more than a dozen clinics statewide that serve low-income patients, as well as sealant programs and other initiatives that encourage good oral health.

“The Park Falls Dental Center has seen more than 4,400 new patients and provided more than 18,000 treatment visits since we opened in 2008,” explained Luke. “About 33 percent of our patients are children and almost 40 percent of our patients are younger adults who have little or no insurance. We also have 90 patients, including children, who have developmental disabilities. We accept Medicaid and offer a sliding fee scale based on a patient’s ability to pay, so the percentage of medical assistance patients we have seen is more than 15 percent above the state average. This makes Price County the best cared for county in terms of dental services.”

Last year alone, Flambeau Hospital treated 90 dental emergencies, according to Scott Carpenter, M.D., medical director, Emergency Services.

“During the months since the dental center opened, we’ve seen that number drop 50 percent - and that’s a very good thing for the people we serve,” Carpenter said. “Adding the oral surgery component to our campus in Park Falls will mean that more people will be able to be treated with oral surgery in an appropriate hospital setting and less will need to be seen for this type of problem in an emergency room setting. It means that the right care can be provided in the right setting to best serve the people in Price County and surrounding areas.”

This grant-funded project will allow patients to receive oral surgery close to home instead of driving 90 – 100 miles to access that care.

“The collaboration between Flambeau Hospital and the Dental Clinic will create tremendous opportunity for alleviating the disparity in dental access to the north central Wisconsin regions,” said Dave Grundstrom, chief administrative officer, Flambeau Hospital and Marshfield Clinic Park Falls Center.

“The emphasis will be on children – with special consideration for those with developmental disabilities – and also the region’s low-income, underinsured and uninsured residents,” Grundstrom explained. “Marshfield Clinic Dental Division will provide the oral surgeon and Flambeau Hospital will provide the surgical facility and additional professional staff, including anesthesia, nursing and surgical technicians to assist in procedures.”

“The Park Falls Dental Center reflects a unique partnership between the Family Health Center, Marshfield Clinic, Flambeau Hospital and the State of Wisconsin - and a community commitment to oral health access, education and prevention,” said Terri Kleutsch, dental administrator, Marshfield Clinic. “Patients are coming from surrounding counties and as far away as Minnesota and Michigan.”

The Park Falls Dental Center is located on the medical campus with Flambeau Hospital and Marshfield Clinic Park Falls Center. William Berge, D.D.S., Ann Jacobs, D.D.S., Jeffrey Luke, D.D.S., James Lovas, D.D.S. and Kowshik Vaddi, D.M.D., as well as six dental hygenists, see patients at Park Falls Dental Center.

Marshfield Clinic now operates five dental centers in its system of care. The other dental centers are located in Ladysmith, Owen, Chippewa Falls and Neillsville. Another new dental center is now under construction in Medford.

Marshfield Clinic Park Falls Dental Center is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday – Friday. To schedule an appointment, call 715-762-0200.

The Marshfield Clinic system provides patient care, research and education with 45 locations in northern, central and western Wisconsin, making it one of the largest comprehensive medical systems in the United States.