YAKIMA, Wash. – The eagerly awaited completion of the state’s second dental school – the first in the nation to offer students three years of immersive training at community health centers serving rural and other medically underserved communities – will be celebrated at a public ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) as the school prepares for its first class in fall of next year.
The dental school’s new home is named Delta Dental Equity Hall in recognition of the shared commitment to improving equitable access to dental care statewide by both PNWU and Delta Dental of Washington, which committed $12 million in funding to make the innovative school of dental medicine a reality.
Delta Dental Equity Hall – designed by D.G. Orr Architecture and built by Lydig Construction – features 30,000-square-feet of state-of-the-art dental school classroom and workspace for training the next generation of primary care dentists, which will also honor the history of dental health equity milestones and leaders through room-naming and artwork/storytelling installations currently in development.
The school’s aim is to help increase equitable access to dental care and will be uniquely focused on serving rural and other medically underserved communities which are increasingly experiencing a critical dental workforce shortage contributing to a disproportionate incidence of oral health issues.
According to a 2022 American Medical Association Journal of Ethics article, nationally most dentists are located in urban areas, whereas only 14% of dentists practice in rural areas where 20% of the U.S. population lives.
When it opens to students next fall, the state’s second dental school will train 36 dental students per year alongside PNWU health sciences students in preparation for working in collaborative and integrated healthcare environments, and which reflects the direct connection between oral and overall health. Following one year of on-campus training, PNWU will be the first dental school in the nation in which students will have three years of full-time immersive training at one of three federally qualified health centers located in Tacoma, Kennewick and Yakima.
“Most dental disease is preventable, but you can’t prevent oral health issues if you don’t have access to care,” said Delta Dental of Washington President & CEO Mark Mitchke. “I’m so proud that Delta Dental Equity Hall will be home base for a new generation of dental students focused on building a future where everyone can enjoy good oral health with no one left behind.”
“With the completion of Delta Dental Equity Hall, we’re one step closer in our efforts to revolutionize community-based oral health,” said PNWU School of Dental Medicine Founding Dean Fotinos Panagakos, DMD, PhD. “The groundswell of community support we’ve received for our new school of dental medicine will have a lasting impact on the oral health of rural and medically underserved communities, here in Washington and beyond, which for too long have had limited access to care.”
In addition to Delta Dental of Washington’s landmark $12 million commitment, PNWU’s School of Dental Medicine has also received $5 million in state funding with additional generous support from Washington State Dental Association Foundation, Pierce County, foundations and individual donors.
Taking place during PNWU’s alumni reunion homecoming weekend, the public ribbon-cutting ceremony – followed by an open house social hour featuring guided tours of dental simulation areas – will include several speakers:
Host: Dr. Foti Panagakos, Dean of the School of Dental Medicine
Welcome: John Vornbrock, Board of Trustees, Chair
The School of Dental Medicine: Dr. Foti Panagakos
Delta Dental of Washington: Mark Mitchke, President & CEO
American Dental Association: Dr. Linda Edgar, President
Washington Dental Association: Dr. Chris Dorow, President-Elect
Washington State Senator: Sen. Curtis King, 14th District
Ribbon Cutting
Closing: Adam Story, Chief Development Officer
