Hospitals in Action >> Case Examples

MAHNOMEN HEALTH CENTER, Mahnomen, MN
Lakes Mobile Dental

What is it?
Lakes Mobile Dental - a dentist's office on wheels - set up shop on the hospital's parking lot for the first time in October 2007. The RV offers services from that location, which is encompassed by the White Earth Indian Reservation, for several days each month. For those on public health programs, services are free. Hospital staff help qualified residents fill out the 26-page, complicated program applications.

Who is it for?
Uninsured residents of the area, as well as those on public health programs.

How do they do it?
Mahnomen Health Center is donating about $5,000 in staff time, advertising, electricity, and hook-ups to the initiative. The hospital is also seeking funding for free exams and screenings for all Mahnomen County second-graders who have never visited a dentist, as well as for free oral hygiene education for all area second-graders and a sealant program.

Why do they do it?
More and more hospitals are doing something outside of their walls - and outside of the box - to address dental health, which is part of overall health. In Mahnomen County, Minnesota's poorest county, dentists are hard to come by. Scarcer still are those who will treat patients on public assistance. Other than the tribal service that's 22 miles away, Mahnomen County does not have a dentist that sees patients on Medicaid or on Minnesota government assistance health programs. Government reimbursement is so low, it's hard for area dentists to justify it. So, up until now, patients have sought treatment for severe dental problems at the hospital's emergency department.

Contact: Susan Klabo
CEO and Administrator
Telephone: 218-935-2511
E-mail: susan.klabo@mahnomenhealthcenter.com