Hackley Community Care Center

Muskegon Heights, Michigan

We’re inundated with patients who need basic oral health care,” says Dr. Robert Plambeck who earned his dental degree from the U–M School of Dentistry in 1985. “We fill a niche trying to meet the needs of the underserved, the underinsured, and those on Medicaid.”

Dr. Robert Plambeck (left) and fourth–year dental student Shawn Kinser discuss a patient treatment plan outside and operatory at the Hackley Community Care Center.

A public health dentist for the past 22 years, the last eight of which have been at the Hackley Community Care Center, Plambeck says, “It’s challenging. There definitely is a need for us, including the dental students, to be at sites like this and other locations across Michigan, to help those with very limited financial resources.”

From 1998 through 2007, more than 26,500 patients have been treated for oral health care problems at Hackley’s dental clinic according to Ivan Egan, dental manager. That includes more than 15,800 patients seen in 2007. More that 12,500 were patients receiving Medicaid assistance for dental care.

Three full–time and two part–time dentists treat patients in 14 operatories. One of the part–time dentists, Dr. Robert Mixer (DDS 1958), works three days a week extracting teeth.

Hackley, Patients, Dental Students Benefit

“Having students from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry here allows us to help more patients who are in need,” Egan says. “The students are compassionate and care about their patients.”

Dental student Shawn Kinser says, “Being at Hackley was a great opportunity and a great experience. I treated patients with a range of needs and learned to be more productive since I often saw six or seven patients daily compared to two at the dental school.”

Kinser said learning opportunities came from not only treating patients, “but in the conversations I had with Drs. Joshua and Plambeck and staff members as they described some of their patient experiences.”

Kay Lemieux, a dental assistant for more than 30 years, including the past five in public health dentistry at Hackley, said, “It’s enjoyable having new dental students come here to help and having opportunities to talk to them about their lives and plans for the future.”

Egan says he and other members of his staff encourage the dental students to consider public health dentistry as a career, citing Dr. Joshua Joshua (DDS 2001) as an example.

When he entered the U–M School of Dentistry, Joshua planned to become a private practitioner. However, his rotation at Cherry Street Health Services in Grand Rapids convinced him to change his plans and practice public health dentistry. At Hackley for nearly seven years, Joshua hasn’t regretted his decision. “It’s been an excellent career, one I highly recommend to everyone from the University of Michigan dental school who comes here,” he says.