Tag: News Release

Investments will help fund dental clinic expansion, address unmet needs.

Cusick, WA–Kalispel Tribal members and Pend Oreille County residents will have more options for dental care. The Kalispel Tribe received a $130,000 grant from Arcora Foundation to help expand dental capacity at their Camas Center Medical and Dental Clinic (Camas Center).

Camas Center, in Cusick, provides comprehensive medical, dental and behavioral health care for all of Pend Oreille County in northeast Washington. The grant money will go toward equipment for 2 additional dental treatment areas for a total of 6. The dental clinic also will feature a quiet room for elders, children, neurodivergent patients and people who wish to wait in a calm, peaceful space before their appointments.

“The Camas Center Medical and Dental Clinic reflects the Kalispel Tribe’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of the Kalispel Tribe people and the Pend Oreille County community,” said Kalispel Tribal Council Vice Chair Curt Holmes. “Arcora Foundation’s funding and partnership mean more people can get the care they need and live healthier lives.”

Once the $15 million expansion is completed, Camas Center expects the number of dental patients they can serve to increase from 500 to 874 annually. They anticipate most of the new patients (75-80%) will be lower-income and have Apple Health (Medicaid).

“Beyond expansions to the dental clinic, this grant is a meaningful commitment to expand access to care for more people in Pend Oreille County, so no one is left behind,” said Arcora Foundation President and CEO Vanetta Abdellatif. “Arcora is proud to partner with the Kalispel Tribe 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.” 

The Camas Center dental clinic expansion is scheduled for completion in summer 2025.

Pend Oreille County has dental professional shortages according to federal data. Tribal clinics like Camas Center provide essential oral and overall health services to address historical dental health disparities, which disproportionately persist among American Indians/Alaska Natives and lower-income households.

The capital grant to Camas Center is among 3 that Arcora Foundation awarded totaling $340,000. Quileute Health Center, another Native health center, received a $140,000 grant. The other went to One Community Health ($70,000), a community health center.

About Camas Center Medical and Dental Clinic

Located inside the Camas Center for Community Wellness, the Camas Center Medical and Dental Clinic exemplifies the Kalispel Tribe’s commitment to the health and well-being of the people of Pend Oreille County. The Clinic provides comprehensive health care for both tribal and non-tribal community members, offering the highest level of medical, dental, behavioral health and chiropractic care.

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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Expands dental access for American Indians/Alaska Natives in rural Olympic Peninsula.

La Push, WA–American Indians/Alaska Natives and children from lower-income families on the Olympic Peninsula will have more options for dental care. The Quileute Tribal Council received a $140,000 grant from Arcora Foundation to update dental capacity at their health center.

Quileute Health Center (QHC) will use the funds to replace decades old equipment, including 3 dental treatment areas and a sterilization station. Currently, just 2 of the 3 areas are operational, limiting the clinic’s ability to treat patients. The new equipment will allow the QHC dental clinic to serve an additional 287 patients a year.

“Our health center plays a vital role in addressing critical oral health care needs in our community,” said Quileute Tribal Council Chairman Douglas Woodruff Jr. “Arcora Foundation’s support and partnership mean even more people will have a chance to live healthier and fuller lives through improved oral health.”

People who receive care at the QHC dental clinic include all enrolled Quileute members, members from the other 573 federally recognized tribes and the descendants of enrolled tribal members. The clinic also serves children with Apple Health (Medicaid) in La Push and surrounding communities to help address unmet oral health needs.

“Beyond the updates to the dental clinic, this grant is a meaningful commitment to expand access to care for people the Quileute Health Center serves, so no one is left behind,” said Arcora Foundation President and CEO Vanetta Abdellatif. “Arcora is proud to partner with the Quileute Nation 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.” 

The QHC dental clinic is scheduled to have fully expanded capacity by early 2025.

In Clallam County, parts of the Olympic Peninsula have pockets of dental professional shortages according to federal data. Tribal clinics like QHC provide essential oral and overall health services to address historical dental health disparities, which disproportionately persist among American Indians/Alaska Natives and lower-income households.

The capital grant to QHC is among 3 that Arcora Foundation awarded totaling $340,000. Kalispel Tribe of Indians’ Camas Center Medical and Dental Clinic, another Native health center, received a $130,000 grant. The other went to One Community Health ($70,000), a community health center.

About the Quileute Tribe

Quileute Nation is a federally recognized tribe on the western coast of Clallam County at the tip of the Olympic Peninsula in remote La Push. Applying a collaborative patient care approach, the Quileute Health Center (QHC) provides comprehensive primary medical, dental, behavioral health, substance use services and specialty care for people all ages. Its dental clinic focuses in caring for tribal members and lower-income neighbors.

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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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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