Community spirit and determination bring new dental clinic to Brookings

Sometimes the saying “it takes a village” applies to getting your teeth cleaned.

Just ask the small, determined group that helped launch a new dental clinic in Brookings, a Southern Oregon coastal hamlet home to nearly 6,700 people.

Equity Dental, a dentist-owned company that has nine clinics throughout Oregon, opened its Brookings clinic in October 2024. That’s more than five years after OHA and the staff of the community health care organization AllCare Health brainstormed ways to help more people in Curry County receive timely, quality dental care.

A new option

Located inside the Brookings home of Coast Community Health Center, which will soon be known as Adapt Integrated Health Center, the clinic offers a new option for residents who have struggled to see a dentist. To date, the clinic has served more than 750 patients.

Kevin Roeckl, 68, of Brookings, appreciates having routine preventive care at Equity Dental’s new clinic. Roeckl’s teeth accumulate dental plaque quickly and need regular cleanings. Before Equity Dental opened, Roeckl said appointments at another clinic were often canceled because that clinic was short-staffed.

“Thank goodness we have another option,” Roeckl said. “I’ve had wonderful experiences with Equity Dental. They’re very helpful, caring and responsive. We just love them.”

Returning to the coast

Pete Lahti, D.M.D., became the clinic’s dentist after graduating from the Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry in June 2024. While he grew up in Lincoln City, Lahti didn’t plan on returning to the Oregon Coast after dental school. Even so, he decided to take the Brookings opportunity after visiting the welcoming town and speaking with enthusiastic Equity Dental leaders.

“It’s been challenging to open a new clinic, but also very rewarding,” Lahti said. “Our patients are very grateful, and I’m grateful to Equity Dental for having the courage to see this through.”

Connecting communities with care

The clinic became a reality thanks to a $243,000 grant to cover some of Equity Dental’s initial operating costs and to attract a new dentist. The OHA Oral Health Workforce Grant Program awarded the funding after receiving a grant from a U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration program that connects skilled providers with communities in need. The clinic “couldn’t have started without OHA” and “the grant was absolutely make or break,” according to Adam Bratland, Equity Dental’s chief operating officer (COO).

Curry is Oregon’s southwestern-most county and a designated health professional shortage area for dental, primary care and mental health professionals. A number of factors make recruiting health care providers challenging: the remote location can become isolated when winter storms flood roadways, affordable housing is limited, and there are few professional opportunities for providers’ spouses.

Collaborative problem solving

The clinic is a direct result of close collaboration between OHA Oral Health Workforce Coordinator Jon McElfresh and Laura McKeane, who long served as the senior director of oral health services at AllCare, a coordinated care organization that connects Southern Oregonian Medicaid members with health care. McKeane is now a Medicaid quality of care analyst at OHA.

The two met in 2018 to discuss Curry County’s dental challenges. OHA has long used federal funding to support health care professionals working in Oregon’s rural and underrepresented communities. The challenge was to find a way to attract more oral health providers to Southern Oregon. Years later, McKeane learned Equity Dental wanted to open a new clinic and connected the company with McElfresh.

“There were a few times that we almost gave up,” McElfresh acknowledged. “We put a lot of blood and tears into bringing this clinic to Brookings. It’s rewarding to see it open and providing much-needed dental care.”

The project’s many key partners included Dave Gilmore, who was the interim chief operating officer at Coast Community Health, which offered Equity Dental an open space in their building. AllCare Health also secured a contract with the dental care insurance organization ODS Community Dental that enables Equity Dental to serve Medicaid patients.

With the addition of Equity Dental, Brookings now has two clinics that accept Medicaid insurance. Equity Dental also accepts private insurance and cares for patients who pay out of pocket.

As an added bonus, Brookings gained more than one health professional when Dr. Lahti moved there. His fiancé, Alexa Hanson, has joined Curry Medical Center as an occupational therapist. Hanson said she likely would not have considered relocating to the area if her fiancé hadn’t had the opportunity to open the new clinic.