YAKIMA, Wash.- A second dental school is coming to the state of Washington as Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences broke ground on the Delta Dental Equity Hall.
The building will house the incoming school of dental medicine, set to launch in the Fall of 2025. PNWU says the curriculum will focus on preparing students to work in rural, medically underserved areas in response to a dental workforce shortage.
Dr. Nathan Russell, the president of the Washington State Dental Association says dentists working in rural areas is one of the biggest challenges facing the dental industry.
Looking back at his time training with the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, he says he hopes the local addition will help students fall in love with dentistry while also mending one of the challenges.
“Currently, Washington state only trains a quarter of its dentist workforce in state,” says Dr. Russell. “Building a new dental school in Washington creates more opportunities for our residents to be trained as dentists locally, which increases the likelihood that they will remain.”
The project is possible in thanks to a collaboration between state government and the building’s namesake, Delta Dental of Washington. With a collective $12 million in grant funding, the budget is the largest in the school’s 18-year history.
“This is an exciting day,” says Delta Dental’s Chief Mission Officer Diane Oakes at the groundbreaking ceremony. “The Delta Dental Equity Hall-the name really shows our alignment on the focus of equity and everyone having access to dental care. That’s what this new dental school is all about.”
The building will be 30,000 square feet with a state-of-the-art classroom and workspace. Set to be built behind the MultiCare Learning Center, 36 students will partake in the department.
Students will be trained at PNWU for one year, before moving to full-time immersive training at federally qualified health centers in Tacoma, Tri-Cities or Yakima.
PNWU says this program will be the first in the nation to offer this form of training.
“Our students will not only excel in oral health care education, but also develop the skills to collaborate effectively with their peers in other health care fields,” says Dr. Fotinos Panagakos, the Dean of the School of Dental Medicine. “This approach ensures holistic and comprehensive patient care, further advancing our mission of health equity.”
The Delta Dental Equity Hall is set to open its doors in the Fall of 2025.
