Hibbing Community College Dental Clinic receives two grants to support equipment upgrades

Hibbing Community College Dental Clinic received two major grants to modernize equipment for the Outreach site.

Founded in 2001 as a partnership between the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State College, the Hibbing Community College Dental Clinic is one of fourteen School of Dentistry Outreach sites and serves more than 2,000 patients from eight counties each year. The clinic is frequently a dental home for patients on Medicaid or those who do not have dental insurance.

John Zupancic, DDS, director of the Hibbing Community College Dental Clinic, worked with the University of Minnesota Foundation to obtain a grant from Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation and theMinnesota Department of Health for a Clinical Dental Education and Innovation Grant. 

 Zupancic knows the mission of Hibbing well and sees its value as an Outreach site and an established clinic. 

"Hibbing gives students a snapshot of what private practice is like," he explained. "They work with other dental professionals in a team setting. They learn to think on their feet as they diagnose and treat diverse case types daily. Working with a dedicated chair-side assistant, they develop improved clinical speed, skills and confidence in performing at a higher clinical level." 

He has loved directing the clinic, and all it entails—from the community he and his colleagues have created to the growth he's witnessed in student providers.

"I love my staff and our community relations," Zupancic reflected. “The staff and I know our patients and families well, and we enjoy seeing them and providing them with needed services. It is also incredibly rewarding to observe the dental students' confidence grow, and their time management and clinical skills sharpen as they plan to enter the workforce." 

In the more than twenty years since the clinic was established, Zupancic has seen demand grow significantly—particularly for urgent care services. As that need has increased, the updated equipment has not followed. Dental chairs that had been in service since the clinic's opening have started to break down.

“These breakdowns impacted our delivery of care and became a safety concern, as we were not able to adequately adjust the chairs for different procedures.” 

Thanks to the two grants, Hibbing will be able to significantly update the dental clinic by installing new chairs and other equipment.

“Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation is proud to support the Hibbing Community Dental Clinic," said Stephanie Albert, president of the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation.  “The new equipment will help improve access to care and prepare students for dental careers in this critically important field.”

“The impact of our new equipment will be evident for years to come as we continue to serve the needs of our community, especially the underserved,” Zupancic reflected. “The grants will allow us to reliably provide vital dental treatment to our community and provide a quality learning environment for our students to expand their clinical skills. We’ll also be able to schedule more patients, including those with urgent needs.”