Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

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The sudden closure of a University of Minnesota dental clinic has left some patients scrambling for care and left staff unsure if they’ll be able to keep their jobs.

The University closed the century-old Boynton Dental Clinic last month. Staff say clinic managers first told them in mid-February that the clinic was temporarily closing for maintenance. Three weeks later, employees were told it was permanent. 

Tisha Morrell worked at the clinic as a dental assistant. 

“There was no additional information provided to the team or patients regarding why the decision was made to close the clinic, how our patients were to be informed and how their care was to be continued,” Morrell said. 

She’s been on paid administrative leave since the initial closure, along with the approximately 25 other employees of the clinic. 

Some patients say they got announcements via text and email that the clinic was closed, effective immediately. But others say they came in for scheduled appointments and found the clinic shut without warning.

University of Minnesota spokesperson Briana Reenshuler says the clinic ran into unexpected urgent maintenance costs, after running on a budget deficit for several years. The University is transferring patients to the School of Dentistry Dental Clinics and Faculty Dental Clinic.

“This will provide patients with expanded services and access to a multi-specialty team — ranging from expert faculty to the next generation of dental innovators — while also maintaining a convenient on-campus location,” the University said in a statement.

But patients say that’s delaying care. At a press conference on Wednesday, patients said those clinics are taking days to respond to appointment requests, and some appointments are getting rescheduled months out. 

Unions representing the U’s grad students and the employees at Boynton are demanding the University reopen the dental clinic.

Graduate students say the closure puts them in an especially hard situation: The University’s graduate student health plan won’t cover them at any other dentist, so they can’t look elsewhere for faster appointments. 

The plan previously only allowed students to get dental care at Boynton. After the closure, the University authorized those students to get care at the school’s other dental clinics, along with other Boynton patients. 

Ben Lewis is the president of UMN's graduate student union. 

“I've already heard stories of colleagues who have had procedure follow-ups and urgent repairs [and] serious operations scheduled with Boynton, sometimes for months, who are now unsure when they will be able to get the necessary care,” Lewis said. 

Reenshuler said the University is working to transfer patients, and prioritizing rescheduling urgent appointments. She said administrators are meeting with the union to work through the transition.

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Estelle Timar-Wilcox

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The sudden closure of a University of Minnesota dental clinic has left some patients scrambling for care, and it left staff unsure if they’ll be able to keep their jobs.

Estelle Timar-Wilcox | MPR News

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Sudden closure of U of M dental clinic leaves patients, staff scrambling

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