UMN: Don't Close Boynton Dental Clinic!
University of Minnesota Administration
.png)
On March 5th, the University of Minnesota announced plans to permanently close the Boynton Health Dental Clinic, which has served the university community for nearly 106 years.
This closure will have disastrous effects across the UMN community.
Each year, the clinic provides over 10,000 patient visits and essential dental care for students, graduate workers, staff, and community members. Closing the clinic will make it impossible for these patients to receive timely care.
The university has said they plan to refer Boynton patients to the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry clinics and Faculty Practice. However, staff at these clinics report they are already over capacity, with long wait times. This means ongoing treatment for many patients will be significantly delayed. Referring thousands of patients to clinics that are unable to see them in a timely manner could potentially amount to patient abandonment.
Emergency care is another major concern. The clinic frequently treats patients experiencing severe tooth pain or infection. Without access to Boynton, these patients may be forced to endure prolonged pain or seek care outside the university system, often at significant financial cost. This not only creates a financial burden but may also affect students' ability to focus on their studies and their overall quality of life.
Additionally, thousands of UMN Graduate students rely on Boynton Dental Clinic exclusively for their dental care. Changing their coverage would be in violation of their union contract, where they have codified access to BHS Dental care. This raises serious concerns about patient access to care, and breaches of the University's contractual commitments.
Despite the impact on patients, workers, and students, the university has not provided a clear explanation for the closure. The University community deserves better!
We call on the University of Minnesota to:
Provide transparency about the reasons for the closure
Ensure continuity of care for all patients
Protect the jobs of union healthcare workers
Keep the Boynton Dental Clinic open!
Petition by
Sponsored by
To:
University of Minnesota Administration
From:
[Your Name]
I am writing with my serious concern regarding the planned closure of the Boynton Dental clinic, and to urge the University to reverse this decision.
This closure will have disastrous effects across the UMN community.
Each year, the clinic provides over 10,000 patient visits and essential dental care for students, graduate workers, staff, and community members. Closing the clinic will make it impossible for these patients to receive timely care.
Emergency care is another major concern. The clinic frequently treats patients experiencing severe tooth pain or infection. Without access to Boynton, these patients may be forced to endure prolonged pain or seek care outside the university system, often at significant financial cost. This not only creates a financial burden but may also affect students' ability to focus on their studies and their overall quality of life.
Additionally, thousands of UMN Graduate students rely on Boynton Dental Clinic exclusively for their dental care. Changing their coverage would be in violation of their union contract, where they have codified access to BHS Dental care. This raises serious concerns about patient access to care, and breaches of the University's contractual commitments.
I join the call from AFSCME workers, graduate and undergraduate students alongside the broader University community to call on the University Administration to provide:
1.) Transparency about the reasons for the proposed closure
2.) A clearly communicated plan to ensure continuity of care for all patients
3.) A commitment to keep the Boynton Dental Clinic open!