Door County Medical Center will transition its Dental Clinic to NorthEast Wisconsin Community Clinic beginning Jan. 1.
A letter of intent has been signed and the two organizations are working collaboratively on the next steps, with the goal toward initiating the transition at the start of the new year.
“This transition is difficult internally because we are so proud of the Dental Clinic and the work that our dental team does for the community, but it is critical for the sustainability of those services,” said DCMC C.E.O. Brian Stephens. “N.E.W. Community Clinic has an extensive history and focus on serving patients with dental needs, including creating new and innovative outreach efforts such as its recently launched mobile unit. This is an opportunity to build on the great work that our team has done throughout the years and will continue to expand services for our dental clinic patients.”
With its designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center, N.E.W. Community Clinic has greater access to federal and state funding sources, creating opportunities to expand services and to have a wider-reaching impact within the region.
“We’re excited to be taking on this new opportunity and look forward to building on the incredible work DC Medical Clinic has started,” said N.E.W. Community Clinic C.E.O. Kim Franzen. “They created a strong foundation within the community, which we will leverage to reach more people in need of dental services. Although the official transition won’t happen until the beginning of 2025, we are already working collaboratively to prepare for the integration process and identify new programs to launch in Door County in early 2025.”
Patients currently under the care of the DCMC Dental Clinic will transition into the N.E.W. Community Clinic patient roster, with care offered at the current Sturgeon Bay dental clinic. The current dental team staff and providers will not change. The Dental Clinic building will continue to be owned by DCMC and the dental space will be leased to N.E.W. Community Clinic.
Franzen said, “N.E.W. Community Clinic has a positive working relationship with Door County Medical, and this is another example of how health care organizations can collaborate for the greater good of the communities that they serve. We are looking forward to expanding dental services in Door County through our community health approach which includes using the mobile health unit to serve those in Door County where there isn’t a healthcare facility nearby.”
In addition to dental services, N.E.W. Community Clinic also offers physical and behavioral health support services that will be incorporated as part of the expansion of services in the Door County region.
“There’s a growing need across the state for these services and Door County is no exception,” Franzen said. “With our community health approach, we’re able to focus and serve our patients in a number of ways and we’ll continue to do that in Door County.”
Door County currently ranks at 740 residents per 1 behavioral health provider. The state as a whole has a ratio of 440 to 1.
