Advanced Care Clinic to treat patients with complex dental needs
Posted: August 19, 2013
ATSU has announced the opening of its Advanced Care Clinic. The 10,600-square-foot oral healthcare facility is Arizona’s first to offer the expertise and equipment necessary to treat patients with complex dental needs, including patients with medical conditions such as cancer, hemophilia, and kidney disease. The clinic, which is expected to treat 7,500 people in its first year and began seeing patients in July, also specializes in comprehensive oral healthcare for patients whose physical and developmental disabilities require dentists with advanced training.
“ATSU’s Advanced Care Clinic fills a major gap in Arizona’s oral healthcare needs,” said Dr. Maureen Romer, associate dean of post-doctoral education at ATSU’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH). “Until now, some residents with complex medical situations and special needs had to go outside the state to get the care they required, while others got no care at all. In opening this facility, ATSU has reaffirmed its commitment to oral health as an integral part of overall health, as well as its determination to provide the highest quality of care to society’s most vulnerable.”
The new clinic has been outfitted with over $1 million in state-of-the-art equipment and technology, including 3D imaging. There are five dental operating suites including one designed for patients weighing more than 350 pounds. Extra-wide doorways ease access by power wheelchairs, while reception and consultation areas are sized to accommodate several power chairs at once.