Marshfield Clinic dental centers expand care with Wal-Mart grant support

CONTACT:         Jake Miller, Media Relations Specialist, 715-387-5762, miller.jacob@marshfieldclinic.org, Bob Mackle, Media Relations Manager, 715-387-5250, mackle.robert@marshfieldclinic.org

A grant from Wal-Mart will help Marshfield Clinic Dental Centers expand dental care to residents at long-term care facilities.

The $45,000 grant, awarded by The Walmart Foundation and its Wisconsin Advisory Council, will cover the cost of a portable dental chair, a wireless X-ray system and a mobile treatment console. Those tools will allow Marshfield Clinic Dental Center dentists and staff to care for patients who otherwise may not be able to receive comprehensive dental care.

The program, expected to be operational by the end of this year, is one of the first of its kind in Wisconsin. The effort will launch in Taylor County, and later will expand to serve additional Wisconsin counties in Marshfield Clinic Dental Centers’ coverage area.

The goal of the program is to serve 200 patients during the first year of operation and 200 additional patients the next year. Ultimately, program leaders want to help more than 2,000 people living in long-term care facilities. Dentists and staff also will work to educate residents about the importance of oral health.

“The grant from Wal-Mart will help us reach hundreds of patients who before couldn’t receive the oral health care they need,” said Anita Polacek, northern region dental director for Marshfield Clinic Dental Centers. “Community members voiced the need for a service that reaches patients in long-term care facilities, and we’re glad we can answer that call.”

Marshfield Clinic operates the dental centers for Family Health Center of Marshfield, Inc., in Chippewa Falls, Ladysmith, Marshfield, Medford, Neillsville, Park Falls, Rhinelander and Rice Lake. Since the first center opened in late 2002, the centers have served about 73,000 unique patients, representing every county in the state.