Temple University’s Dental Education Center and Clinic in Tamaqua has only been in operation for a little over two months, but is already having a profound impact on patients.

John Fry, Temple’s president, helped celebrate the grand opening of Pennsylvania’s first rural dental school Friday morning, and shared a story about a woman who was recently helped.

“For more than 10 months she had a significant toothache and was suffering,” Fry said. “But because she could not get an appointment with a dentist, her only treatment came in the form of daily use of Tylenol.”

The woman, he said, was in desperate need of a tooth extraction.

“She had nowhere to turn for that procedure, and so when she arrived at the clinic and explained her situation, the attending faculty responded, ‘We can pull your tooth — today,’ ” Fry said.

And with that, the woman cried tears of joy.

“That’s the type of impact this clinic will have for individuals who reside in Schuylkill, Carbon and Luzerne counties,” Fry said.

The clinic, inside the former Rite Aid at 205 Center St., opened Sept. 2 and is expected to serve about 15,000 patients each year.

It is a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to improve access to dental care and address the shortage of dental professionals in rural communities.

“Forty percent of adults in rural areas have not visited the dentist more than once a year, and the consequences of that are really significant,” Fry said. “It can lead to really debilitating long-term health problems, and it’s why the impact this dental clinic has the potential to be, and will be, so profound.”

Friday’s event brought dental school students, community members, elected state and local officials and representatives from Temple, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and USDA Rural Development.

All were invited to tour the school and clinic, as well as the housing created for students at the former Scheid’s Department Store/Tire Pros on West Broad Street.

When fully implemented, the program will graduate 10 dentists each year. It is hoped that by living, learning and practicing in a rural area, the students will remain in a rural area after they graduate.

Dr. Amid Ismail, dean of Temple’s Kornberg School of Dentistry, said dental care isn’t always readily available in the area, where about 27% of residents are covered by Medicaid.

“We have a lot of stories to tell about patients who need care but they couldn’t get it,” Ismail said.

Ismail recalled attending a 2023 conference presented by the Pennsylvania Rural Health Coalition that focused on the need for dental care providers in rural areas. At the end, he said, he asked if anyone would be interested in hosting a rural clinic with Temple.

“Only one raised his hand — Micah,” Ismail said, referring to Micah Gursky, executive director of the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership.

Eager to pursue his vision of opening a school to train dentists and help the underserved, Ismail met with Gursky. Soon, he met with Christine Verdier, chief of staff for state Sen. Dave Argall; Argall and state Rep. Jamie Barton.

Elected officials helped secure funding. And now, the project includes a $31 million investment from Temple University, state and federal government, the Tamaqua CRIZ Authority and the Morgan Foundation. The total includes $14 million in federal Rural Transformation funding, which will help ensure the clinic’s long-term success and support the expansion of this innovative model to other rural communities.

Argall recalled the project’s beginnings.

“When we first announced this idea, some of my critics on Facebook thought I had to be hallucinating,” Argall said. “Today, we are celebrating a remarkable facility that is already changing lives. This is what happens when people come together and work collaboratively. This is one of the largest investments in Tamaqua’s history, and it is well worth every penny.”

Barton reiterated that rural health care — including dental care — is a major concern in Pennsylvania.

“The only way to address it is to innovate, and that’s just what Temple’s dental clinic in Tamaqua is doing,” Barton said. “I couldn’t be more proud to play a part in this hugely collaborative project that I truly believe could change health care education across the country, and it all starts right here in Tamaqua!”

Eventually, the clinic hopes to implement a school based program for children, and offer free dental care to all Tamaqua veterans.

Gursky, who welcomed attendees, issued thanks to all involved.

“Today is a new day, not just in Tamaqua, not just for Temple, but for rural Pennsylvania,” he said.