Community, Students Benefit from Low-cost Care at New Concorde-Kansas City Campus

“Wow! This is nice!” 

That’s a common reaction from patients who step into the new Concorde Career College Dental Hygiene Clinic at the school’s just-opened Kansas City, MO, main campus.

“The clinic is all brand new, super nice with top-of-the-line equipment,” says dental hygiene student Claira Wilson. “There are nice, bright colors, lots of windows and a really nice atmosphere.”

The sharp-looking dental clinic is a pleasant surprise for some patients, especially those who have not seen a dentist for months, if not years. They’re also happy to find out that services at the clinic—which are primarily cleanings, including fluoride treatments and sealants, and radiographs—cost only $20.

“They are pretty excited,” Ms. Wilson says. “A lot of times they can’t believe how cheap it is.”

Ms. Wilson, who graduates in August 2021, worked as a dental assistant for a few years before she decided to pursue a dental hygiene degree. She is grateful for all the hands-on training she has received at the Concorde clinic since she started in February 2020. 

By reducing the bacteria in patients’ mouths through cleanings, it can help protect their overall health, she says. “It’s awesome to know we can help them in that way,” she says.

Concorde started the Dental Hygiene Clinic in 2010 and moved it along with classrooms and labs for several other programs to a 50,000-square-foot space on the St. Joseph Medical Center campus. The new clinic has 16 chairs and can accommodate up to 800 patients per month.

“The larger clinic will allow us to improve community access to care by increasing the number of available appointments and providers,” says Dental Hygiene Director Alissa Beckerle, RDH, M.P.H. “Additionally, having a location within an established medical facility will increase the potential for meaningful interprofessional experiences.”

Many clinic appointments are filled thanks to longstanding community partnerships with community health centers, dentist offices and private physician practices.

Concorde, which is based in nearby Mission, KS, specializes in health care education and operates 17 campuses across eight states. A variety of programs are offered at the campus, including space for classroom and hands-on teaching for practical nursing, respiratory therapy, diagnostic medical and cardiovascular sonography and physical therapy assistant as well as medical assistant and dental assistant. Concorde continues to offer medical assistant, dental assistant and medical office administration training programs at its campus at 3239 Broadway in Kansas City.

Published on August 11, 2021