All Care Health Center is breaking ground on a $5.7 million dental facility in Council Bluffs on Monday, Nov. 9, hoping to chip away at a waiting list of more than 1,600 people who need dental care. Wait times for an appointment currently stretch beyond 10 months, and the public is invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony.
According to Omaha World-Herald, the new facility will include 21 dental exam rooms. All Care Health Center expects to serve close to 6,000 patients in 2024. The center's Oral Health Access Initiative includes expanded services and pediatric care.
Financial and distance barriers to dental care remain challenges across rural Iowa.
Medicaid Patients Often Shut Out
All Care Health Center currently accepts Medicaid, Medicare, most private insurance and self-pay for dental services, and patients can apply for its sliding fee scale, per findhelp.org. Its services include exams, cleanings, periodontal cleanings and crowns in Pottawattamie County. That kind of access isn't guaranteed statewide — in Storm Lake, none of the five dentists serving the town accept Medicaid patients, leaving the local health center as the only option, according to a report from iowapublicradio.org.
The reimbursement math helps explain why. The Iowa Dental Association found that a routine adult cleaning costs an average of $75.29, while Medicaid reimburses just $35.82 — a net loss of at least $39 per visit, the same report noted. In Webster County, many adult patients have to leave the county entirely for dental care, with most referrals landing more than an hour away one way. Buena Vista County sends children 120 miles to Creighton University in Omaha for care, or double that distance to Iowa City.
Staffing Shortages Compound the Problem
A survey cited in the same report found that 40% of dentists statewide are actively recruiting dental assistants, with staffing shortages estimated to have cut dental treatment capacity by roughly 11%. The Community Health Center of Fort Dodge has pointed to a similar gap, saying few dental providers in its region accept Medicaid or uninsured patients, which contributes to what it calls a critical care gap.
Fort Dodge's health center has tried to close that gap with a mobile approach. Since 2022, the Community Health Center of Fort Dodge has provided preventive oral health services to more than 500 students, though demand has outpaced the program's capacity. Last November, the center celebrated the launch of a new mobile dental clinic with a floss-cutting ceremony, funded by a $350,000 grant from the Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation. The 38-foot mobile unit includes two dental chairs and a small reception area.
Cedar Rapids Offers a Larger-Scale Model
Council Bluffs isn't the only Iowa city investing in expanded dental access. The Eastern Iowa Health Center announced a $3.25 million dental clinic expansion in Cedar Rapids, growing the facility from 2,995 square feet to 8,000 square feet and increasing its dental chairs to 18, according to thegazette.com. That project was projected to boost annual patient capacity from 9,100 to 22,500 once fully operational, with 15 new positions planned, including three dentists and four dental hygienists.
For now, the focus in Council Bluffs is on Monday's groundbreaking and residents waiting for an appointment. All Care Health Center's new facility won't open overnight, but it comes as residents face a large dental waiting list and long waits for care.
