Smiles United Dental Crisis Fund

Smiles United Dental Crisis Fund is sponsored by United Way of Northeastern Minnesota. The Smiles United Dental Crisis Fund offers financial assistance to individuals living or working within the United Way of Northeastern Minnesota's service area for oral healthcare costs not covered by insurance.

Smiles United | United Way of Northeastern Minnesota NE MN Dental Task Force member Scenic Rivers Health Services is hiring: Join their team as a licensed Dental Assistant in Cook or Tower. $1,000 hiring bonus!

United Way of Northeastern Minnesota (UWNEMN)’s Smiles United Dental Crisis Fund aims to offer financial assistance to individuals living or working within UWNEMN's service area with oral healthcare costs not covered by insurance. Maximum Request Amount: $1,000 All requests will be handled with strict confidentiality.

Please note that financial support cannot be granted without fully completing this form, and applying does not guarantee approval. If approved, payments will be made directly to the service provider. To qualify, individuals must be live in UWNEMN's service area and earn at or below the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained) threshold .

Smiles United Crisis Funding is made possible thanks to the Central Mesabi Medical Foundation, Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation, Medica Foundation, and St. Louis County Community Development Block Grant. United Way of Northeastern Minnesota (UWNEMN) established its Smiles United Dental Crisis Fund in early 2025 with support from the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation and St.

Louis County Community Development Block Grant; some funding was designated specifically for veterans. The fund offered up to $1,000 to individuals living or working within our service area to assist with necessary dental procedures. Non-veteran funding was exhausted in months, and now, thanks to the Medica Foundation, dental crisis funding is once again available to veterans and non-veterans alike!

To qualify, individuals must be live in UWNEMN's service area and earn at or below the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained) threshold . Our region is suffering from a shortage of dental providers which increases rates of oral health complications requiring significant treatments. These treatments are expensive, especially if insurance does not cover all aspects.

There are currently 32 dental providers in UWNEMN's 11,000+ square mile service area. Recent outreach found that 50% were accepting new patients, and the average wait time for care in our region is 12 weeks. In 2025, more than 200 patients registered at Fairview Range Medical Center for oral health needs, and in 2026, Project Care free clinics report "tooth pain" as a weekly complaint.

Some patients visit Project Care seeking antibiotics after pulling their own teeth. In 2024, UWNEMN established the NE MN Dental Task Force which includes representation from healthcare, insurance, and government. Top needs discussed to-date by the task force include workforce, mobile and accessible care for seniors, “dental homes” for uninsured and underinsured individuals, and crisis funding.

Crisis funding was established as quickly as possible; until access to care increases, we believe this funding is necessary to prevent dental crises from becoming healthcare and financial crises as well. There ARE options for care in our region, regardless of insurance status: Children's Dental Services - Preventive services and some restorative. Care provided to patients of all ages in a variety of community locations.

Make an appointment at: 1-866-543-6009 Ely Community Health Center - Preventive services only. Care provided at 33 E Chapman Street, Ely MN 55731, Monday-Thursday. Appointment required: 218-365-5678 Smiles United Dental Crisis Fund - Limited funding remains available for veterans and servicemembers across the Iron Range, Koochiching County, and Lake of the Woods County.

In 2026, the NE MN Dental Task Force is focusing on addressing the critical dental workforce shortage in our region by exploring ways to better support career readiness for local students. Stay tuned for more details Join the NE MN Dental Task Force Donate to support the crisis fund! Join the NE MN Dental Task Force Smiles United was launched in 2009 to increase access to dental care in our region.

Through the program, United Way of Northeastern Minnesota (UWNEMN) has worked to introduce and sustain Children's Dental Services (CDS)' mobile dental program in schools across our service areas. In 2020, CDS expanded to serve patients of all ages at community sites across the region, including UWNEMN's building in Chisholm.

UWNEMN and CDS are currently partnering to open an Iron Range CDS clinic to serve as the dental hub for the mobile program. The partners receive guidance through the Northeast Minnesota Dental Task Force, which UWNEMN established in 2024 through the Smiles United program. Tooth decay is the most common infectious disease among children.

It is also largely preventable! Nationally, more than 51 million school hours are lost each year due to tooth decay. By providing the necessary dental care in school, children can easily access necessary preventative care in order to stay healthy!

Children receiving dental sealants in school-based programs have 60% less decay for up to five years. Healthy children feel better in school, which helps our efforts to educate. 28% of Minnesotans do not have dental insurance.

53% of Minnesotans over the age of 65 do not have dental insurance. United Way of Northeastern Minnesota expanded its Smiles United program in 2024 to address the widespread need for dental care across the region by establishing the Northeast Minnesota Dental Task Force. The task force meets quarterly to: Keep regional stakeholders connected and engaged on our communities’ dental needs.

Identify actionable solutions and collaborate when appropriate. Ultimately, increase dental providers and programs in Northeastern Minnesota.

The task force includes representatives from the following local and regional entities: Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging, a division of ARDC Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA) BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota CHI LakeWood Public Health Children’s Dental Services Ely Community Health Center Koochiching County Public Health & Human Services Minnesota Department of Health Follow Along Program Minnesota Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Rainy Lake Medical Center Scenic Rivers Health Services Currently hiring licensed Dental Assistants in Cook and Tower.

$1,000 signing bonus! St. Francis Health Services United Way of Northeastern Minnesota The task force's focus for 2026 is workforce readiness.

If you have an opportunity for local dental providers to speak to student groups (any age), please contact us! For more information, contact Erin Shay at erin@unitedwaynemn. org , 218-254-3329 , or NE MN Dental Task Force c/o United Way of Northeastern Minnesota, 608 East Drive, Chisholm MN 55719.

Donations to United Way of Northeastern Minnesota support: Children's Dental Services preventive and restorative dental care to uninsured and underinsured individuals of all ages in our region. The program improves the oral health and well-being for patients from birth to 100+ years of age by providing cleanings, fluoride treatments and sealants by way of a mobile dental unit.

Children's Dental Services brings its mobile dental unit directly to all area school districts across the Iron Range, Koochiching County, and Lake of the Woods County; however the program also serves individuals at county buildings and community sites like UWNEMN's building in Chisholm & KOOTASCA in Grand Rapids. For questions about these services or to make an appointment, call 1-612-746-1530 or click here .

Ely Community Health Center and its dental program. The free clinic is able to provide dental hygiene services and restorative dental referrals. They are also able to visit Long Term Care and Assisted Living Facilities to provide preventive dental hygiene services within St.

Louis county. For more information or to schedule services, call 218-365-5678. United is the way we ensure everyone in our community has access to dental care.

Donations to Smiles United support the operation of our NE MN Dental Task Force and our partners. Donations can be mailed to UWNEMN at 608 East Drive, Chisholm, MN 55719. Be sure to indicate in writing that your gift is for Smiles United.

Mobile dental care is provided locally by Children's Dental Services. For questions about their services or to make an appointment, call 1-612-746-1530 or click here . For more information about the Northeast Minnesota Dental Task Force or our Dental Crisis Fund, contact info@unitedwaynemn.

org or 218-254-3329.