The Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation said Monday it would fund half the cost of a $9.2 million dental clinic contained within Hennepin County Medical Center’s new $220 million six-story facility in Minneapolis.
 
Grant money from Delta Dental will enable the new dental clinic, dubbed Delta Dental Oral Health Center, to increase oral health care access by 60 percent, or an estimated additional 11,000 visitors annually, for a total of 27,500 patient visits per year.
 
The Delta Dental Oral Health Center will be used to treat 85 percent of HCMC’s dental patients covered by public programs, as well as those who are uninsured or qualify as low-income residents. “This grant makes it possible to greatly expand access for the most underserved patients,” said Mary Seieroe, HCMC’s chief of dentistry, in a statement.
 
In a joint release, the institutions said the $4.6 million in funds would be allocated to improve infrastructure, equipment and cover operational costs. When completed, the clinic will house 30 treatment rooms, two consult rooms with teledentistry capabilities, a lab, a satellite dental room and an expanded space for dental education.