The U-M School of Dentistry will create a unique interprofessional clinic for patients with special needs thanks to a $2 million gift from the Delta Dental Foundation.
U-M will use the funds to create the Delta Dental of Michigan Integrated Special Care Clinic, where patients with special needs can access dental and other treatment services from multiple health care disciplines in the same location. This special clinic will improve health care access and convenience for patients with developmental disabilities, cognitive impairments, complex medical problems, significant medical limitations, veterans with PTSD, and the vulnerable elderly. In addition, U-M dental, dental hygiene and graduate students will learn how to assess and manage the needs of these patients.
The clinic’s unique delivery model is designed so dental students and faculty, as well as colleagues from other U-M health science schools and colleges, will provide care together. This interdisciplinary clinic led by dentistry — believed to be the only one of its kind in Michigan — will allow clinicians to more effectively serve this special patient population with the goals of enhancing access to, and improving the quality of, care. Read more.