So far, grants totaling $670,000 have been secured to offset the move

Columbia Basin College landed its third grant this year to pay for moving its dental hygiene program and clinic from Pasco to Richland.

CBC is committed to fully financing the cost—$4.29 million—to renovate the fourth floor of the Wortman Medical Science Center, or about 85 percent of the total project costs, and is seeking grant funds and donations to pay for new dental hygiene equipment.

CBC plans to open the new dental hygiene clinic in January 2020.

The Wortman Medical Science Center is home to Kadlec Regional Medical Center’s family medicine residency clinic and other CBC health sciences programs.

The recent $100,000 grant comes from the Arcora Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to partnering with communities to improve oral health, will be used to buy and install the new equipment.

CBC received a $250,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust in May and $480,000 from the Rural Families Educational Fund for the dental hygiene clinic. The Rural Families grant includes $320,000 for the build-out of the new Richland and $160,000 for a legacy endowment to promote continued education and subsidy of oral health care services for migrant and low-income populations.

“Our decision to pursue a new dental clinic was largely influenced by recommendations from our graduating students, dental hygiene accrediting board and local advisory committee,” said CBC President Rebekah Woods in a news release. “At CBC, we are always looking for ways to make improvements that positively impact our students, programs and community.”

The college’s dental hygiene program offers a bachelor of applied science degree and operates a low-cost clinic where students provide oral health care to an average of 2,100 children, teens and adults each academic year.

The clinic at CBC provides dental X-rays and exams, teeth cleanings, oral hygiene instructions, fluoride, whitening trays and restorative treatments.

The current clinic is located at CBC’s campus at 2600 N. 20th Ave. in Pasco, and clinic hours for the fall quarter are 8-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. Mondays, and 9 a.m. to noon and 2-5 p.m. Wednesdays.

Care is provided by CBC students under the supervision of licensed dental hygiene instructors and clinic dentists, and medical interpreting services are available for Spanish-speaking patients.

The cost for a dental exam is $25, cleanings range from $35 to $180 and X-rays range from $17-$47.

No insurance is required.

For more information about program, go to columbiabasin.edu/dentalhygiene.

To schedule an appointment, call 509-542-4571.

To make a donation, contact CBC’s Foundation at 509-542-4436.