The new clinic and education center is planned to open this fall, and it will position Temple as a leader when it comes to addressing rural healthcare challenges.
The Kornberg School of Dentistry will open a new clinic and education center this fall in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. The facility will host 10 third-year and 10 fourth-year dental students.
Photo by Wulff Architects
According to a recent study from the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, rural populations have the worst access to dental healthcare, as 40% of adults living in rural environments have not visited the dentist in more than one year.
The lack of access to high-quality dental care can lead to debilitating, longer-term health problems, but Temple University and its Kornberg School of Dentistry are doing their part to address the problem head on.
This week, Kornberg announced that it would be opening a groundbreaking, state-of-the-art dental clinic and education center in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, a rural neighborhood located in Schuylkill County. The new location was formally approved during the public session of the Jan. 28 meeting of the university’s Board of Trustees.
“Part of what makes Temple so special is our continued commitment to serving the community and meeting them where they are,” Temple President John Fry said. “We have seen that with our Kornberg School of Dentistry and the Dental Clinic at William. D. Kelley School, which has positively impacted so many students and families in North Philadelphia. That is why we are so excited about this initiative as we believe this Tamaqua clinic can have the same kind of impact for individuals who reside in Schuylkill County. It is the latest example of how we are working to best serve the commonwealth.”
The clinic and education center, which will be located at 205 Center St., Tamaqua, is planned to open this fall, and it will host 10 third-year and 10 fourth-year dental students, who will pursue their final two years of education at the facility. While there, the students will provide comprehensive care to patients from Schuylkill as well as Carbon and Luzerne counties.
“Many people have shared with me how difficult it is to make a dental appointment in our region,” said Sen. Dave Argall (R-29). “Thanks to this commitment from Temple University and the hard work of many local leaders and volunteers, we’re solving this problem for local families, creating at least 20 family-sustaining jobs and breathing new life into Tamaqua’s historic downtown.”
The Kornberg students at Tamaqua will be supervised by licensed dentists. Temple will also be leasing a building, located at 24 W. Broad St., which will house the students.
“This is a significant moment for Kornberg as it reflects our mission to serve the community by delivering compassionate, comprehensive, patient-centered, evidence-based and outcome-driven oral healthcare,” said Amid Ismail, Laura H. Carnell Professor and dean of the Kornberg School of Dentistry. “As the second-oldest dental school in the U.S., we are always striving to be both pioneers and innovators, and this is the latest example. Temple is proud to serve and be a partner with the Commonwealth in addressing rural healthcare challenges, and both our students and Pennsylvania residents will be the ultimate benefactors.”
Several government agencies and private foundations have provided funding to help support operations at the clinic and education center. Specifically, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Tamaqua City Revitalization and Improvement Zone, and the Morgan Foundation have all supported the project.
“We are deeply grateful for the support of our federal, state and local agencies as well as private partners,” Ismail said. “This is an illustration of how we all recognize that this clinic has the potential to drastically improve healthcare outcomes for those who live in this area of Pennsylvania.”
The announcement of the Tamaqua clinic and education clinic has also garnered praise from local elected officials.
“The Tamaqua Dental Clinic is a win for all involved,” Rep. Jamie Barton (R-124) said. “Students get a chance to learn in a true clinical setting, while Schuylkill County residents get access to critical dental services that can be hard to find in the more rural parts of our area. Fixing the shortage of rural healthcare is a top priority in Pennsylvania, and this dental clinic will help to address it. This has been a collaborative effort between the federal government, the state government, the greater Tamaqua community and Temple University. Economic and community growth is a team sport!”
The Tamaqua clinic and education center is the latest example of Temple and its professional schools expanding their reach into counties outside of the greater Philadelphia area. Last year, Temple’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine and WellSpan Health formalized an agreement that will establish a new regional campus for Temple’s medical school in York County, Pennsylvania.
The new dental clinic also aligns with the priorities identified in Forward with Purpose: Temple University’s Strategic Plan, which was released Jan. 28. Specifically, the Tamaqua clinic and education center is an example of Place-based Impact, as Temple leverages its expertise and relationships to serve as a trusted partner for underserved areas within the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.