Investment expands dental care access for Klickitat, Skamania county residents.
White Salmon, WA–Southwest Washington residents in need of affordable dental care will soon have more options. One Community Health (OCH) received a $70,000 grant from Arcora Foundation for a new dental clinic in White Salmon.
The funding will go toward construction of a $2.6 million, 2,000-square-foot dental clinic in White Salmon. The dental clinic—which will primarily serve people from Klickitat and Skamania counties—will include 13 dental treatment areas. It will provide access to an estimated 8,500 new dental patients, providing 17,000 appointments annually.
“Our mission is to advance health and social justice for all members of our community,” said One Community Health CEO Jennifer Griffith. “Arcora Foundation’s support helps us fulfill our mission for all so that even more people will have an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of good oral health.”
The grant announcement coincides with National Health Center Week—an annual national observance that endeavors to highlight the important role community health centers play in creating a healthier and a more equitable society. Community health centers care for more than 1.1 million people throughout Washington state. Nationwide, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) like One Community Health serve more than 30.5 million people each year. Once fully staffed, the White Salmon clinic will have 20 dental care professionals and will be the only FQHC providing integrated medical, dental and behavioral health care in Klickitat County.
“Beyond funding construction of the new clinic, this grant is a meaningful commitment to expand access to care for Southwest Washington residents, so no one is left behind,” said Arcora Foundation President and CEO Vanetta Abdellatif. “Arcora is proud to partner with One Community Health to ensure more people—especially those who have been historically underinvested in—can access the care they need when, where and how they need it.”
Currently, OCH’s dental clinics in Oregon serve patients from Oregon and Washington with those from Washington having to travel further for care. The new White Salmon clinic will be closer to patients and residents of Skamania and Klickitat counties, counties with few dental resources for the medically underserved. In providing easier access to preventive oral health care and timely dental treatments, this new clinic will make a timely impact on the oral health care needs of these communities.
The new dental clinic is expected to begin serving patients in December 2025.
The capital grant to OCH is among 3 that Arcora Foundation awarded totaling $340,000. The others went to tribal health centers: Kalispel Tribe of Indians’ Camas Center Medical and Dental Clinic ($130,000), and Quileute Health Center ($140,000).
About One Community Health
One Community Health (OCH) is a nonprofit, Federally Qualified Health Center serving patients in the Mid-Columbia River Gorge region, which includes Wasco and Hood River counties in Oregon and Klickitat and Skamania counties in Washington. In addition to its seven physical locations, OCH has two mobile medical units dedicated to serving the small, rural communities that dot the landscape of the Gorge, as well as Native American communities living along the Columbia. Formerly known as La Clínica del Cariño Family Health Care Center, OCH was founded in 1986 and today has evolved into a 5-Star Patient-Centered Primary Care Home providing medical, dental, and behavioral health care to more than 38,000 patients. OCH also excels in providing specialized care that promotes the well being and health of all, including farmworker outreach, addiction support services, LGBTQ+ community care, and a specialized diabetes support team.
About Arcora Foundation
Arcora Foundation advances oral health across Washington state. We are the foundation of Delta Dental of Washington, and the state’s largest foundation dedicated to this cause. We lead with equity in our work to achieve good oral health for all. Through partnerships, we focus our prevention and access priorities on racial and ethnic communities—specifically Black, Indigenous, and People of Color—where disparities in oral disease and access to care are significant. Our mission is in our name: bending the arc of oral health toward equity. Learn more at ArcoraFoundation.org.
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We can’t do this work without you. Advancing oral health requires public and private partnerships, policy advocacy, and funding. Join us in our mission to bend the arc of oral health toward equity. Learn more and contact us at info@arcorafoundation.org.