Kim Schatzel, who was touring the remote area with Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, posted selfies with the students on social media and praised the partnership.

“UofL plays a vital role in preparing future dentists to serve patients throughout the commonwealth and beyond. I am so proud of the work that our dental students are doing at the Red Bird Clinic, filling a need that would likely be unmet without them,” said Schatzel. “This partnership is truly beneficial to all involved. Our students enrich their educational experience, and the residents of southeastern Kentucky receive exceptional care.”

UofL has partnered with the clinic in Beverly, Kentucky, since 2017. UofL dental students work there four days a week under the direction of a local dentist. 

UofL dental students work similar rotations at the Shawnee Dental Clinic in an underserved Louisville urban area and at West Kentucky Community and Technical College, providing services to residents of the Jackson Purchase region. 

The Red Bird Dental Clinic, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, serves Clay, Bell and Leslie counties and is located in a federal “Promise Zone,” in which high-poverty communities work closely with the federal government on issues such as education, crime, health and investment. The clinic serves about 600 patients a year.

“This educational partnership is making a significant difference in the health and lives of so many families in some of the commonwealth’s most economically depressed areas,” said Stivers. “A rich … opportunity for UofL students means quality dentistry and improved opportunities for many in the region.”

Schatzel and Stivers also toured Clay County High School, which is undergoing extensive renovations.

Lord owned Lord Family Dental in Louisville for 10 years before joining the faculty at the UofL School of Dentistry, and practicing general dentistry at UofL Dental Associates. A graduate of the UofL School of Dentistry, Lord has been a dentist since 2004.

“We’re so excited this position has been filled,” said Carrie Hopper, dean of the allied health and personal services division at WKCTC. “I know with all that COVID-19 has delayed or canceled, people in our region have been concerned this partnership would not take place, but with the hiring of Dr. Lord, we know this project is moving in the right direction to start our dental clinic here at WKCTC.”

Officials from both schools the unique collaboration between UofL and WKCTC will allow students from both institutions to work together in a dental clinic, while providing services to residents of the Jackson Purchase region.

A memorandum of understanding between UofL and WKCTC allows the School of Dentistry to operate the mutually beneficial dental clinic on the second floor of the Anderson Technical Building at the WKCTC campus. T. Gerard Bradley, dean of the UofL School of Dentistry, says partnerships like these provide dental services to communities, and are an essential component of UofL’s dental curricula.

“We are so pleased to begin our outreach in the Paducah community through the hiring of Dr. Lord. He is a valuable member of our faculty, and his leadership and clinical expertise will help fulfill our educational mission and partnership with WKCTC,” Bradley said.

With a full-time licensed dentist overseeing the operation, the clinic will serve as a clinical learning site for fourth-year UofL dental students. WKCTC will provide dental assistants from its existing dental assisting program, along with use of existing dental equipment and chairs. UofL will provide expert dental oversight, supervision and management of the dental clinic operations, including the establishment of all dental fees, billing and collection.

The UofL School of Dentistry is engaged in a similar collaboration with the Red Bird Mission and Red Bird Clinic located in Beverly, Kentucky. Dental students work under the direction of a local dentist, providing the students an opportunity to treat patients in a rural community and culture. Students also rotate through similar externship sites in urban settings, including the Shawnee Dental Clinic located in an underserved area of Louisville.

Lord will first work to set up the clinic and hire a clinic manager and assistant. Officials expect to have the clinic setup and ready to serve patients by early spring. 

During the academic year, the School of Dentistry Outreach Scholars rotated to clinics in Henderson, Owensboro, Elizabethtown, Bowling Green, Paducah and Beverly. Fourth-year dental students Holly Bradford, Beth Bailey, Robbie Troehler and Cierra Sapp were selected for the competitive scholarships, based in part on their demonstrated community service.

Since September, the four have honed their general dentistry skills at dental offices operating within a variety of practice models. The clinics in Paducah and Henderson, for example, are operated by the Kentucky Area Health ����ֱ�� Centers program, while other clinics are non-profit, reduced-fee facilities providing general dentistry.

Sapp said her experience at the Red Bird Clinic in Beverly helped her build confidence and gave her a better understanding of life in private practice.

“During my time there, I performed emergency visits, extractions, restorative procedures, and completed many new patient exams. It was evident there is great dental need in rural Kentucky,” she said.

In addition to learning about clinical practice, the Outreach Scholar experience encourages students to continue giving back as they begin their own careers.

“It has been a blessing to work within the dental profession, and it is important for me to use my education to help fellow Kentuckians,” said Troehler of Ludlow, Kentucky.

In addition to the Outreach Scholar efforts, the UofL School of Dentistry has a long history of helping serve the people in the rural part of the state, having participated in multiple Remote Area Medical events in Pikeville, where students and faculty provided free dental care to hundreds during each event. The school also continues to build a presence in Beverly, having formalized a relationship with the this year for student clinical rotation.

“Our collaboration with the Red Bird Clinic is a significant step for the university as we seek to systematically serve our mission to provide health care throughout the Commonwealth and improve the overall well-being of its citizens,” said UofL Interim President Greg Postel, MD.

Beginning Feb. 23, dental and dental hygiene students will begin clinical rotations at the Red Bird Clinic. Each week, six students will travel to Beverly, Kentucky, and help staff the Dental Clinic, open Thursday through Saturday.

“This new clinical site enhances the education of our students with enriching cultural and clinical practice experiences that will make them compassionate, exceptional dental health care providers,” said the dean of the UofL School of Dentistry, T. Gerard Bradley, BDS, MS, DrMedDent.

The Red Bird Clinic Inc., is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that grew out of Red Bird Mission Inc., which started in 1921 with a private school, and expanded to include medical and dental services, job training, clothes closet, food pantry, adult education, services to senior citizens and more.

Red Bird Clinic Executive Director Kari Collins says the relationship with the UofL School of Dentistry increases the availability of dental treatment for the underserved.

“It is our hope that some of these students will be drawn to practice in rural areas; perhaps someone will return to serve at Red Bird Clinic in the future,” Collins said.   

Under the leadership of Red Bird Clinic Dental Director Bill Collins, DMD, the dental clinic provides a variety of services to about 20 to 25 patients daily, including cleanings, fillings, root canals, crowns, bridges and extractions.

Collins, a graduate of the UofL School of Dentistry, says outreach is essential for the education of dental students.

“Everything is not cut and dry at outreach clinics; high difficulty levels provide challenges for the students and increase their abilities. It’s amazing to watch as they begin to put things together and their eyes and faces become bright with satisfaction. I try to ask students to learn one new thing each day — if they will continue this, it will make them good, confident practitioners,” Collins said.

Other alums of the School of Dentistry, Greg Bentley, DMD, Susan King, DMD, and Bob McGuinn, DMD, will serve on rotation as gratis faculty to oversee the UofL students.

A handful of dental students already have engaged in clinical dental services at the Red Bird Clinic in 2016. The school’s four Outreach Scholars, a designation given through a competitive scholarship opportunity, rotate to six clinics throughout the state. Fourth-year dental student and Outreach Scholar Robbie Troehler, from Ludlow, Kentucky, says it is rewarding to help those in need.

“It has been a blessing to pursue a career in dentistry, and it is important for me to use my education to give back to fellow Kentuckians as I gain valuable experience in outreach clinics,” Troehler said.

The School of Dentistry has a long history of helping serve the people of rural Kentucky, having participated in multiple Remote Area Medical events in Pikeville, where students and faculty provided free dental care to hundreds during each event.