WEST WARWICK – Thundermist Health Center’s new dental building will provide enough room to care for 5,500 additional dental patients, the nonprofit community health center says.
Thundermist leaders and local officials broke ground on the $8.6 million project on Oct. 18.
The building, at 5 Washington St. in West Warwick’s Arctic Village, is expected to be finished in late 2022.
“We are working hard to ensure access to oral health care for anyone in the state that needs it,” said Chief Dental Officer Dr. Eric Prosseda. “With more than 1,200 dental patients on our waiting list for care, the need for high-quality dental care for our community has never been greater. We know many Rhode Islanders may find themselves without insurance suddenly and may not know Thundermist offers dental care regardless of ability to pay.”
A capital campaign launched by Thundermist raised $1.2 million for the building, including a $350,000 donation from Delta Dental of Rhode Island.
Once the facility is complete, the health center is planning to hire 14 new dental staff members.
Among the new facility’s features are stretcher and wheelchair access along with 21 patient rooms, nearly doubling the current location’s capacity of 12 rooms at 1219 Main St. in West Warwick.
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN contributing writer.