A much needed dental school is coming to Tamaqua.

Temple University’s Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry, along with the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership, plans to open its first-ever rural dental education center and clinic at the former Rite-Aid, 205 Center St.

The proposed 24-chair education and clinic will host 20 dental students who will complete their final two years of training in Tamaqua.

The facility will help address Pennsylvania’s growing shortage of dental professionals, especially in rural areas.

The students will provide dental services to residents of Schuylkill, Carbon and Luzerne counties. The plan is to create housing for students in a now-vacant West Broad Street building owned by the partnership.

The Kornberg School of Dentistry is also in discussions with Lehigh Carbon Community College to open a dental hygiene program that will train six to 10 students. The school will create new jobs, expand health care access and build a foundation for rural health education in Pennsylvania.

State Sen. David Argall chaired a public hearing of the Senate Majority Policy Committee in June about severe dental shortages across the commonwealth.

In November, U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, whose 9th District includes Schuylkill County, announced that the facility will receive $2 million in federal funding.

The center is projected to open in September.