Cherry Street Health Services

Grand Rapids, Michigan

We could be open twenty-four hours a day, and there would still be a demand for our dental services,” says Dr. Trish Eggers Roels, dental director of Cherry Street Health Services. “As it is now, when we open at seven o’clock every weekday morning, it’s not unusual for patients to begin waiting in line as early as 5:30.”

Fourth-year dental student Nancy Lam examines a radiograph to determine the work she will do for a patient who has come to the Cherry Street Health Service’s Dental clinic fo care.

For more than 20 years, the needy in and around Grand Rapids have received dental care from Cherry Street Health Services at its flagship site, 550 Cherry Street, and nine other locations throughout the city. U-M dental students treat patients at that site and another, the Ferguson Dental Center at 101 Sheldon Street, during their rotation.

In the past three years, Cherry Street Health Services reports the number of patient visits for dental care has risen more than 30 percent, to approximately 2,300 annually.

“Since Michigan has been hurting so much economically, we see patients from all walks of life,” Roels says. They include those who have lost their jobs and insurance coverage, as well as the elderly, children, and college students.

Partnership “A Great Fit”

Roels says the partnership with the School of Dentistry “is a great fit. It has allowed us to treat more patients. I’m very pleased with the dental students and their contributions,” she adds. “As providers, we expect the students to step up to the plate the moment they arrive because the need in this community is so great.”

Fourth-year dental student Jared Van Ittersum agrees. During his one-week rotation at Cherry Street, he said, “I developed a much stronger appreciation for how critical it is to have these community clinics and clinicians that accept patients who are receiving Medicaid assistance for dental care. If public health clinics like these were not available, these patients would have some very serious health dilemmas in their future.”

Staff dentist Dr. S.D. Tackett (DDS 1981), says when dental students come to the Cherry Street dental clinic, “it’s a real eye-opening experience for many of them because they often handle cases they usually don’t see in dental school clinics.”

Tackett, who was in private practice in Detroit for 20 years and has been at Cherry Street for the last five, says he enjoys mentoring students and helping them build their confidence. “They’re always upbeat and ready to listen to advice that I or others pass along,” he says.

Dental student Nancy Lam agrees.

“The dentists and others at Cherry Street treated me like a peer and gave me some great advice,” she says. “Working with the assistants allowed me to work at a faster pace so I could treat more patients. The experience was invaluable to me because it helped reinforce my confidence as a soon-to-be dentist.”